Holding Hands For Life

As a former student of international studies and international politics, AIDS has been an area of academia that I've constantly been exposed to. However, it wasn't until the summer of 2011, when I became immersed in an AIDS environment, that I actually realized how deeply the disease affects me, even as someone who is not HIV+.

This past summer I spent 6 weeks in southern Africa as part of a Fulbright program focused on education. During this time, we traveled throughout the southern part of the continent and experienced many different peoples, cultures, traditions, economies and political structures.  It was an incredible experience in so many ways, and it is something that I will forever cherish. Although I was moved by a variety of things throughout the trip, the most emotional and profoundly affecting experiences were the times spent with those suffering from or affected by HIV/AIDS.

Throughout the preparations for the trip, and even during the first week of the trip, I mentally prepared myself for what I was about to experience. I read about AIDS, I read about Lesotho, I read about people who have spent time in the region and have been affected by the disease. I read, I read, I read. However, no amount of reading could have fully prepared me for this experience.

I guess you could say that I was fortunate to have a gradual introduction to what life really is like for those affected by AIDS. Our first week in Lesotho was spent in Morija, where we stayed at a wonderful guest house that was also a temporary home to a lovely Canadian family who was there adopting a young girl, Rethabile. Billy, as they called her, was an AIDS orphan who was left with no family and therefore sent to a large orphanage in Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. I was fortunate to build a relationship with this family and to be able to talk to them nightly about their experience. The conversation I remember most was about the orphanage in which Billy was placed. They described it in detail, painting vivid pictures of rooms full of hundreds of orphans lying on the ground because there was no funding for beds, mess halls full of bugs, kids running around with little or no clothing and no shoes at all. As I listened to their story with tears in my eyes, I looked over at little Billy and made a personal vow to do everything I could to help children like her. Although this was incredibly emotional, I had yet to experience AIDS first hand.

Upon our arrival in Roma, our second location in Lesotho, we were greeted by several small, friendly, happy children. Some of my fellow travelers suspected that their happiness was due to their association of strangers to free stuff, but I like to believe that they are genuinely happy just to have someone to play with for a few minutes. Before even unloading our luggage from the bus, we went out to meet and spend a little time with the children. We were swarmed immediately, as kids grabbed our hands, our waists and our legs…and didn't let go. They showed us their school, their community center and their homes. We skipped and ran and laughed and played. We attempted conversations that fell flat after a few sentences of broken English, but rebounded with smiles and body language. We never let go of their hands. This continued for a while until it was time for us to go back to our lodgings. I cried as I walked away. I cried as we unloaded and unpacked. I cried myself to sleep as I laid in my comfortable bed with a full stomach, a pillow under my head and a heater on full blast. I cried for the kids who have so little, who are so sick, who have lost their family to AIDS, who are so happy and continue to smile, laugh and play despite the circumstances. Nothing I read prepared me for those emotions.

The rest of our time in Roma was spent in the local school and community centers where we played with and taught hundreds of kids, many who either have or have been directly affected by AIDS. In fact, one of my favorite kids was clearly HIV+. There were hundreds of kids like her, but for some reason, she became mine. Everyday she would find me and welcome me with a smile and a hug and a sweet greeting in her best English. At the end of the day, she would proudly show me things she made or toys she brought with her. On our last day working with the kids, my girl and I said our final goodbye and handed each other a small token to remember the other by. Due to the language barrier I never heard her story, and that makes me sad to this day. I cherish the time spent with her....the games played, the lessons taught and of course the dancing. Maybe someday I'll see her again, but for now, I can only look at the small rock she gave me, think of her often and hope she's doing well.

On one of our final days in Roma, we were lucky enough to have a visit from an HIV+ woman named Daphne. Daphne talked with us at length about how AIDS has affected her and how it affects the community in general. She described the stigmas associated with the disease and how she dealt with them. She told us about how it affected her physically, mentally and emotionally. How it has affected her family, her husband, her children, her reputation and her employment status. She shared her entire experience with us...complete strangers. I learned so much from her, not only about the disease itself, but also about personal strength, the importance of family and the role of AIDS in Lesotho.

These experiences are responsible for who I am now and what I plan to do in the future. This is when I realized that I could no longer associate AIDS with statistics and graphs. Instead, I now think of people....real people with real struggles and real lives. Real people who need our help. Some of you may be wondering about that vow I made when learning about Billy's struggle. In a nutshell, I've vowed to help in a variety of ways, including fundraising, returning to that beautiful Kingdom in the Sky to volunteer, working with BLOOM Africa and (eventually) adopting my very own Billy.

My connection with BLOOM Africa was random, unplanned and unexpected, but, I believe, meant to be.  I couldn’t have found a more perfect organization through which to act on my vow and devote myself to helping those beautiful children affected by such an ugly disease.  Although my work with BLOOM Africa is new, I’m so excited to say that I already feel like I am making a difference.  I’ll be involved with BLOOM in a variety of different areas, however my main role will be that of Education Officer.  Through this role I plan on creating and implementing educational curricula in community centers throughout Lesotho.  These curricula will provide orphans with the skills and knowledge necessary to support themselves and to live happy, healthy and successful lives.  As an educator and humanitarian, I love nothing more than supporting others in their journey to betterment.  I am so humbled (and excited!!) to have been asked to join the BLOOM Africa team and I can’t wait to see what we, with your help, can do for the children of Lesotho.

Khotso le lerato,

Erica

This blog entry was written by BLOOM Africa team member, Erica Coffman.

How Lesotho Changed My Life

Community service is something I have had a passion for since the beginning of high school. I remember right before the summer of my freshman year attending my sister’s high school graduation. I recall seeing a medal she had around her neck and asking my parents what she was wearing. They explained to me that she had performed over 200 hours of community service and for that she and any other student who had accomplished the same act received that medal in recognition for their accomplishment. After hearing that I knew that was something I too wanted to accomplish. I will admit at first that was my main reason for wanting to perform community service. I wanted to receive that medal of recognition upon my graduation, but my motivation for service slowly began to change as I became more involved in service projects.

I began serving through a hospital in town. I would volunteer one night a week for four hours. I was at the front desk. I was the first person to greet anyone who came into the hospital. I enjoyed this responsibility because I wanted to hopefully create a comfortable happy environment with my attitude. Many of the people who came to the hospital were there to visit a sick or hurt family member. That can be hard to deal with and it was my personal goal with the short interaction I would have with them to make them feel at ease and calm. I was also responsible to deliver flowers to patients whenever they would get a delivery. This was my favorite part of the job, so to speak. Seeing the look on their faces when they saw the faces, especially the elderly patients, is something I won’t forget. It didn’t matter how they were feeling, but for that moment they forgot about their pain and were truly happy and grateful that someone had thought about them and wanted to help brighten their day. I always made sure to have a big smile on my face and was excited to see them. Volunteering in a hospital setting taught me a lot. I wouldn’t always want to go to volunteering, but I would go and remember that the time I am giving is more valuable than something else I might want to do at the time. I couldn’t go and not give 100 percent because that wouldn’t be fair to the people and patients I interacted with. Once I was in that mind set my mood would change and I would be excited to go volunteer.

Late in high school I became involved with Habitat for Humanity. I was only able to complete one project with the club, but it left a lasting impression on me. Through my service at the hospital and Habitat I along with my twin sister received that coveted medal upon graduating high school. The medal had a different meaning for me now though. I didn’t want the medal because I thought it was “cool” like I had 4 years earlier. I didn’t necessarily even want to medal anymore. My perseverance to receive this medal had changed me. It had made me into a person who was passionate about service and wanted to continue to serve upon going to college.

I did not pursue service my first semester at Wittenberg University because I wanted to get adjusted to college life, but I heard from an upperclassman about a chance to go to Lesotho and serve there for a month in the summer. I was instantly intrigued and wanted to learn more about this trip. An Information meeting was held and I was there to learn everything I could about the trip. After attending the meeting I was hooked, I had to go. I immediately called my parents and told them about it. They were wary at first, but told me I could apply and if I was accepted to go we would talk about it again. I applied and right before the Holiday break I was accepted to go on the trip. I was ecstatic! To be able to serve for a month was incredible, but to have the chance to serve a month in Africa was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I came home for break and told my parents the news. They were still undecided about the issue and wanted some time to think it over. After much deliberation they came to the conclusion that I could go. I informed my professor I would accept his invitation and when I returned for classes in the spring I began attending weekly meetings to learn about the trip and more importantly about Lesotho, the country we would be spending 4 summer weeks in. The semester ended and not long after I was on a plane to Lesotho. That month in Lesotho forever changed my life. 

This trip was amazing. We were able to interact with the Basotho and form relationships with the people we were helping. The Basotho are some of the most incredible people I have ever had the blessing of interacting with. They were so grateful for everything we did. They thanked us over and over again.  I have never seen more creativity and resourcefulness in my 19 years. The toys the kids would make themselves were so unique and creative. It was inspiring to see and it made me realize how boring and spoiled our society is in the U.S. It forced me to see how blessed I am, and also how much I take for granted. I could never imagine not knowing where my next meal is going to come from or wondering how I am going to stay warm on a cold winter night. These were things the kids we hung out with had to deal with every day, yet they were so full of life! Some one of them didn’t have their mom or dad or both. It seemed as though it didn’t appear to faze them. They were almost conditioned to the fact that this was how life is, which broke my heart. But they also gave me hope. When talking to a lot of them, I learned that they enjoyed school and they were eager to learn. They had goals and ambitions. They were simply amazing and the interactions and relationships I formed with the Basotho have forever changed me as a person. Going to Lesotho lit a fire under me unlike anything else ever has. I came back home knowing that I couldn’t live the rest of my life and not serve in some way. I immediately became involved with Habitat for Humanity at school and began to talk to Dr. Rosenberg and Andrew Steele about the Peace Corps and Youth and Global Mission. I contacted Andrew about interning for BLOOM and he graciously brought me onto the team. I look forward to continuing to serve in any way that I can, but especially in ways that benefits Lesotho. If it weren’t for Lesotho I wouldn’t be who I am today. I wouldn’t have the goals and ambitions that I have and for that I will be forever thankful.

By: Michael LaCagnin

A New Year, A New Hope

It’s now 2012, and the New Year brings many new beginnings.  Many people state ‘new year resolutions,’ that may fizzle in weeks or act as a catalyst for change and direction in the coming 365 days.  Some people don’t make resolutions come the New Year, but are happy to wash their hands of the previous years troubles.  Either way, the coming of a new year signifies optimism and a fresh start.

I carry this new kind of hope for BLOOM Africa, Lesotho and humanity in general.  I know I can be overly ambitious and a bit of a dreamer at times, but I can’t help but get excited about the possibilities in the year ahead.  How can I not get excited about our growing organization and the potential to touch even more lives in Lesotho?  How can I not be thrilled to know we have a larger network of supporters to spread the good news about the Mountain Kingdom in the sky?  We are currently in the development stages of our new vision as an organization, something we feel will catapult how successful our impact can be in Lesotho.  We now have, more than ever, people wanting to become socially engaged with BLOOM and their communities.  There is just so much to be optimistic about.

Of course when the New Year starts, we grasp on to the hope that our dreams and desires will become realized.  Without hope, what are we as human beings?  Who was Franklin Delano Roosevelt without the hope of a prosperous and successful United States?  Who was Nelson Mandela without the hope for a free and democratic South Africa?  What would a farmer do if he did not have hope in his newly planted seeds?  It is clear that hope is central to so much of what we do and who we are.

We are dedicated towards creating a hope that is concrete, everlasting and full of love and justice.  The word hope has been thrown around lately much like other words that seem to diminish their importance.  But for children who are parentless, hungry and lacking basic resources, hope may be their only resource to escape poverty. 

Join me in sharing this fresh, rejuvenated hope for the orphans and vulnerable children of Lesotho.  Let us have hope for a better tomorrow through our mutuality with our brothers and sisters thousands of miles away.  Yes, hope is not something that can be counted, graphed or collected.  But it is the resource that is most important…the resource that has the power to change the world.

-Andrew