Not your typical youth group

Besides the work I am doing with my 2 community organizations (which is still moving at a snails pace) I also have the opportunity to take on what is called “secondary projects”.  There are all kinds of things that I could do as secondary projects.  But Peace Corps Mozambique has 2 national secondary projects, JOMA and REDES, that I have decided to become involved in. 

JOMA, is essentially a youth group, comprised of both guys and girls.  It’s goal is to prevent HIV/AIDS and promote gender equality and healthy living.   JOMA groups often discuss issues of gender, sexual health, HIV/AIDS, violence prevention and community development.  Besides discussing these various issues, my JOMA group will also be trained in theatre and hopefully will use their training to promote gender equality and HIV/AIDS education and prevention in the community. 

REDES, is a group for young girls only.  It’s goal to promote the healthy development of young women in Mozambican society.  REDES groups provide a space for young girls to talk with each other about various issues they may be facing such as: sexual health, HIV/AIDS, violence, gender inequality, etc.  My REDES group is also a dance group.  They will teach me Mozambican dances and I will teach them American dances!

Both of my groups are very strong and excited and I look forward to working with them.  My Mozambican counterpart, the Mozambican working directly with me is also very excited and dedicated.  She also works with me at one of my organizations and is a good friend of mine.  She is very knowledgeable in the areas of HIV/AIDS, gender and facilitation. 

Nevertheless if my experience in working with youth has taught me anything… it is that we will all have a fantastic time and probably all grow to be better people!

Knee Deep in Water

Earlier this week I took integration into my community, which is one of the main goals in Peace Corps, to a whole new level when I suddenly was walking knee deep in water in order to visit people living with HIV/AIDS.   And I have to say… I LOVED it. 

When it rains here in Quelimane, it pours, flooding many roads and walk ways.  I mean flooding may-jorly, like a few feet of water in some places.  Because most Mozambicans don’t own cars, and walk pretty much everywhere they need to go this can pose a problem for them in getting to where they need to be.  So often they just take off their shoes, roll up their pants and walk straight through the water.  When we realized that there was no way but to walk straight through a huge body of water to get to the person’s house we were supposed to visit, the activista asked me what we should do.  I didn’t say anything.  Instead I just removed my shoes, rolled up my pants and began to walk through the water.  And so we continued on our way to visit those that we had planned to visit. 

By the end of visits that morning, we had walked through several fairly large bodies of water.  Each time we did, other Mozambicans smiled, some laughed.  A few even cheered for me!  Naturally I loved it! I was probably the last person they would expect to see walking through knee deep water, with my jeans rolled up.  But I thought… hey when in Mozambique do as the Mozambicans do!  And it was actually a lot easier.  I stopped worrying about getting wet and muddy because that was just bound to happen and instead focused on the conversations I was having with people. 

Food for Thought

In the last few weeks I have spent time going with activistas as they visit the homes of people who have HIV/AIDS in area.  In talking with many of those infected it became clear to me that in addition to HIV/AIDS, many of them were also hungry.  When I asked how they were feeling, a common response was “I’m hungry” or “I don’t have any food”.  I asked the activistas how people who didn’t have food get food.  They told me that some people get food from various NGO’s but mostly they get food from neighbors or other friends.   

As it relates to HIV/AIDS hunger is extremely problematic.  In general, food intake and proper nutrition is an imperative life function.  Food is a basic human need.  For people who are HIV positive or have AIDS good nutrition makes the body stronger and helps people stay healthy, which helps them fight off opportunistic infections.  For those that have HIV/AIDS, anywhere in the world, keeping their body physically healthy is a top priority.  For people who are currently on treatment for HIV, food and proper nutrition is needed for the HIV meds to work properly.  It is counterproductive for people to be taking HIV meds that are prolonging their life, if these same people are going hungry.

There are organizations and programs in Mozambique and all over southern Africa that are tackling the Gi-Normous problem of hunger and specifically working with those that have HIV/AIDS.   There are food distribution programs, helping people survive day to day.  And there are also programs that teach people how to grow their own food or teach them skills that they can use to make money to buy food.  There are also community education efforts that help people who are infected with HIV/AIDS understand the importance of proper nutrition and ways in which they can obtain the nutrients necessary to stay healthy. 

But the reality is that even with all these organizations and programs, I am still meeting people who are not only infected with HIV/AIDS but who are desperately hungry.  Which says to me we need to do a better job of identifying who needs food and getting them the food, as well as helping them acquire the skills necessary to be able to become responsible for getting their own food one day.    

Throughout my work here in Africa and in the States I have interacted with many people who go hungry, people who don’t have regular access to food.  And even though I know hundreds of millions of people around the world go hungry, it always shocks and enrages me when I meet someone who tells me they are hungry.  Not only does it seem unfair that some people on the planet get to eat and others don’t, but it is something that is completely unnecessary.  We, as a planet have the resources to feed everyone and for some reason it doesn’t happen.  I have come to realize that allowing people to be hungry, in this world of plenty is one of the gravest of injustices in existence today.   

Okay, so I know many of you are upset and want to DO SOMETHING to help.  And that is great! You want to send food or money or something that will help.  You could do that…but while those solutions are needed in the short term, they are not sustainable, meaning you can’t feed a family forever (unless of course you are Oprah and there is no doubt she does).   

Instead I would suggest becoming aware and learning more about hunger and what a specific person, family or community experiences.  And then share with others what you learn and how you feel about it.  Then if you want to go a step further I would look into volunteering in your own community, because hunger exists everywhere.  Talk with, listen to and build relationships with those that go hungry and then share who you learn and feel with others. 

I believe that there are 3 key components that are integral to social change:  Awareness, Empathy and Action.   

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In short, food is extremely important for ALL people, regardless of their HIV/AIDS status.  There are hundreds of millions people who go hungry every day.  World hunger is a huge ass problem and can be overwhelming.  But if everyone just engaged with this problem a tiny bit, in their own community, as many people already do, it might not be such a huge ass problem.  And we surely could live in a world where no one goes hungry.       

Ending HIV/AIDS requires a Movement to end Oppression and Marginalization

It is estimated that 1.1 million Americans are living with HIV/AIDS.  And of those Americans living with HIV/AIDS today, almost half are African American.  In fact, Black Americans account for more new HIV infections a year, more AIDS diagnoses, and more HIV-related deaths than any other racial group in the US. 

Thirty years into the HIV/AIDS epidemic and not only have we not defeated HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, we have done very little to eliminate the realities that put people at risk for HIV infection.  In the United States these realities are marginalization and oppression.  I am not suggesting that various forms of oppression cause HIV, because it is clear that risky behaviors, such as unprotected sex and injected drug use are the main drivers of HIV infection in the US.  But I am suggesting that marginalization and oppression create the conditions that fuel our HIV/AIDS epidemic.

HIV/AIDS has always been and continues to be a disease that impacts people and communities that are greatly marginalized in our society, whether they be men who sex with men, or injected drug users.  Or, as the recent statistics illustrate Black Americans.  In the case of Black Americans there is no question that oppression, in the form of racism and the marginalization of gay and bisexual men in all communities, in the form of homophobia, has led them to being disproportionately affected by this deadly but preventable disease.     

I am strong advocate for HIV/AIDS education, prevention and treatment programs, especially those that are culturally informed and engage with communities that are greatly impacted by this deadly disease.  However, these very good prevention and treatment programs are not enough to defeat HIV/AIDS.  W must also eliminate the oppression and marginalization that has fueled the epidemic from the very beginning. 

We must recognize forms of oppression such as:  racism, sexism and homophobia, how they relate to HIV/AIDS and their role in larger society.  And more importantly, we must take action to rid our society of such oppression.    

February 7^th is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in the United States and I propose we use this day to start a national movement to end HIV/AIDS.  A movement that seeks a comprehensive response to this 30 year plague, called AIDS.   A movement that pays as much attention to tearing down the walls of oppression as it does in passing out free condoms and clean needles. 

The fact that HIV/AIDS is almost exclusively a disease that impacts marginalized people and communities is merely a reflection of our society’s injustices.  And thus in working to end this plague, we must confront those injustices and demand a culture where everyone, regardless of skin color, drug use or sexuality, feels respected and honored as a person.   

What is an “Activista?”

In Mozambique Activistas are the people working on the frontlines of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.  These activists, focus on providing education and support for those in their community that are infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.  Although activistas receive training in the area of HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care, they are not professional health care workers or counselors.  They are merely concerned and dedicated community members, who volunteer their time, along with their heart, in responding to the national crisis that is HIV/AIDS here.

Activistas spend the majority of their time out in the community doing what is called “home-based visits/care”.  This is when the activista goes to the home of an HIV positive person to see how they are doing.  The main purpose of these visits to make sure that the person is regularly taking their HIV meds.  If the person is not taking their ARVs then the activistas does their best to encourage them to get back on their ARVs.  Adherence to ARVs, that is regularly taking HIV meds once you are on them is extremely important to the health and wellbeing of HIV positive people.  There are several reasons as to why someone might not be taking their HIV meds as they are extremely difficult to take, with many side effects that can interrupt the daily lives of those that are taking them. 

Even though the main reason for the home visits is to ensure treatment adherence, once at the home the activistas provide counsel and support to the person and their family members.  They answer questions and encourage them to lead more healthy lives. 

These visits, conducted by activistas, just ordinary community members, some HIV positive some not, is seems to be a very successful intervention tool, especially in a country that has a lack of “professional” healthcare workers.  It reminds me a lot of what gay men did for each other in the early days of HIV/AIDS in the States.  Just like those gay men in New York during the early days of AIDS, who were activistas themselves, the activistas in Mozambique today are playing an essential role in the lives of those in their community that are positive.  I very much look forward to working with these activistas in my time here, as their impact runs deeper than can be measured.