This article is from page 61 of the 2008-03-04 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 61 JPG
THE biggest thing about the tiny baby boy is his eyes. They stare in alarm out of a face that is sunken and a body that is covered in the open sores which are the tell-tale sign of infection with the HIV virus.
He is nine months old, but to lift him up is to discover that he weights little more than a large teddy-bear.
His mother looks almost as sick as he does and there is no alarm in her eyes, only defeat.
Sr Ethel wants to introduce the pair, who have come for help to the Mis- sionvale clinic, to a volunteer.
When the young mother leaves Ethel confides that her little boy will probably not live to see his first birthday.
“We have to work very closely with her now. She is close to giving up. She’s saying ‘what’s the point?’ It’s when people go that far down that they slip away”, says Ethel. “This is the face of AIDS in Africa.’’, she SEAS
Hope is a very valuable commodity at Missionvale, particularly for the children who come every day to be fed as part of the Orphans and Vul- nerable Children programme.
Around 3pm, they arrive and sit in lines on the grass of the school playground. There are 500 or more children involved. They sing togeth- er and then sit quietly with hands outstretched for a sandwich and the
jOLOLB Cod O1 Mo) ONTO SloXO MM OM UDLMMCDMDOL Gm Zen(on| kitchen staff have been preparing all morning.
The older children help marshall the younger ones into lines and they carry the crates of sandwiches for distribution.
These are the children who have had their childhood snatched from them by being made heads of house- holds often before they are ten years old. The AIDS virus has taken their parents and caregivers. Look into their eyes and you will see adults looking back.
Parents don’t have to be dead for a child to be an orphan in the town- ship. Many have parents who are too ill to provide care for them. Many more belong to families who have been defeated by poverty, hunger, disease or alcoholism.
Sr Ethel feeds these children and also supports the older children who have been cast into the parenting role to ensure they can continue going to school, getting an education which will provide them with wings to fly the grinding poverty trap.
Her investment in the future of the youngsters is already paying off.
Many who came to her when her only facility was the shade of a tree are now working as care-giv- ers, teachers and clerical staff at the centre and many more have fulfilled their contract with Missionvale and have gone out into their brave new Ke) u lem