Fadz's blog: giving with joy

Our lives have become so frenetic that we find it very difficult to pause and take stock of what is going on around us. We have become engrossed in taking care of number 1 and our own forgetting that there are others who might really need our help. Now most people think help is only given in the form of money but a friendly gesture, a smile goes a long way. Just pausing in your rush for the elusive dollar to shake someones hand will reaffirm their belief in the existence of God. It takes nothing from you and you get a lot of blessings in return.

I was humbled by the students at Speciss College Chitepo High School who led by Larnce Paulser and accompanied by four tutors (I was one of the four) and the Director of studies Mrs Mutepfa, went to Streets Ahead and Mashambanzou Care Trust to donate clothes and foodstuffs. The students had rallied and collected clothes, food and hygiene products. It was really interesting to see how willing children are to give. But this really works if there is support from home. Larnce's parents really got into and collected donations from their workplaces. Premier milling represented on the day by Fiona Evershed the sales and marketing manager, deserves a special mention here for the support they gave towards the venture.

The visit to Streets Ahead was short as we did not get to meet any of the beneficiaries of the donations. The one to Mashambanzou though was an eye opener; interesting, educational and slightly disturbing. But not in a bad way.

The Care Centre was established in 1989 by Sr Noleen Nolan of the LCM sisters. At present it is located at 40 Sandown Road in the tranquil neighbourhood of Waterfalls Harare. It provides holistic care for people living with HIV/AIDS.

We were welcomed by Mr Basikiti the donations coordinator. I had the idea that we would hand over the donations greet the patients and then be on our way. 40 minutes tops. But Mr Basikiti and his colleagues had a different plan and we ended up staying for more than 2 hours; the most educational 2 hours I have ever spent.

In the shed before the slideshow

We were shown a slide-show of people suffering from STI's and HIV/AIDS. The images which we were warned were not for those with a nervous disposition were unsettling and reminded us of the 1990s when the same said images were the order of the day and we ran for the hills. The slide show reminded me of the documentary Aids in the tropics which used to shown to college students a long time ago. Whilst we were watching the slide show a patient died.With the advent of ARVs those sights are a thing of the past. Or so I thought. It is clear that the people are still careless and irresponsible with their lives and the lives of the innocent. We no longer run for the hills because we do not see people dying from the virus that much anymore. Everyone looks healthy and we have forgotten the most immediate past. The sufferers are now the ones disappearing to fight the disease in solitude and it is places like Mashambanzou which grant sufferers a place to heal and regain their dignity.

We were not allowed to take pictures of the patients and understandably so. It would violate the need for privacy of the patients and subject them to unwarranted attention; there is still a lot of stigma attached to the disease. I was rudely made aware that people's behaviour has not changed at all and there is need for some drastic action to curb the spread of the disease.

The children were disappointed that they never got to see any kids but that was not necessarily a bad thing; children always suffer more in the clutches of HIV/AIDS.

The handing over of donations

The donations were handed over and we went on our way. I left with mixed feelings; happy about the change the students had made in their lives and those of others and sad and angry at the same time because people are still unaware of the implications of their behaviour. There is serious need for behaviour change and I strongly believe the National AIDS Council is not doing its job properly. Companies should also fulfil their social responsibility by making the public aware of the implications of their behaviour as well as take a leaf from Premier Milling and give with joy.

The journey meant only to give the donations became a learning experience for everyone who was on that bus. Giving with joy is stronger than prayer sometimes!