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This article was written by Tamsin McEwen-Asker
from IICD (International Institute for Cooperation &
Development). Tamsin and her partner in education Tara,
volunteered for a week at the Center.
One week seemed too short, at first, for involved work at a
local non-profit organization. What difference can a week
make? In Albany, the doors of the Damien Center swung open to
welcome me and Tara. This drop-in HIV/AIDS community center is
a home, a kitchen and an enjoyable social environment.
Visitors step inside from the humid porch into an
air-conditioned lounge, grab a drink and snack before relaxing
on the sofa by the TV or playing backgammon with a neighbor by
the window. The atmosphere is welcoming: make yourself
comfortable. Differences are accepted. Friends are made.
Fortunately this Center has a variety of free activities to draw
in the crowds: lunches; dinners; counseling; testing; and
healing sessions in massage and Reiki. The high standard of
services here is perhaps unrealistic for Mozambique, but perhaps
the welcoming environment can still be transferred.
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Instead of a sterile clinic, this place is a forum for
discussion. I shoved the information pamphlets into my back
pocket and hoped to learn through conversations. People
chatted with me about a variety of topics, but only after first
listening intently to my future Humana project in Mozambique.
As the newest visitors, we should not have found this audience
surprising, but I'm adjusted to the strange responses during
fundraising trips where little old ladies make comments such as,
"you fix 'em, you make 'em healthy, and then they shoot you."
To my relief, this receptive crowd only supported our endeavors
abroad, and some spoke intelligently on factors related to AIDS,
using their experiences to form a vividly comprehensible mosaic
of the situation.
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There's more to the place than just AIDS, though. When talking
with somebody, HIV status is neither assumed as negative nor
positive. Such confidential information is usually only shared
with close relations, but in this safe environment, a person is
easily considered a friend. So, I didn't know how to respond
when one man abruptly declared, "I'm positive" during a lunch
conversation about work. Before I could blunder out my
sympathies, Tara asked, "about what?" At this point laughter
saved the day by clearing the air. How brave this man was to
cope with HIV and to keep his sense of humor. Similarly,
another woman made light of her teeth falling out.
Astonishing.
It suddenly becomes important to appreciate the moments with
each other and cherish the simple possessions in life:
ourselves. As we departed, a poet gave us something to
remember him by after trying to put himself in our traveling
shoes and offering his encouragement. The Damien Center shows
that, "just hearing how someone else has adjusted to living with
the virus can be enough to help you realize that life is still
good, that you can still have love and laughter."
Living positively ain't so negative |
