Monica
When we first visited Monica in her shack, we could not believe our eyes.
Here was a beautiful, very
intelligent young woman, sitting alone and depressed on a
bed that basically occupied the floor space in her home.
Every surface and item in Monica’s home was spotlessly
clean; she had decorated the shack by collecting identical
pages out of the same grocery store flyer, and fastening
them to the walls of the shack to look like wallpaper.
Monica introduced us to the adorable little boy playing
outside with sticks by an old car as her son, Luciano.
After searching intently into our eyes for understanding
(Luciano is partially deaf), we offered him an apple…and a
smile soon spread across his face. Monica and Luciano are
both HIV positive. Luciano’s father abandoned the family
when he learned of Luciano’s illness…if he could not have a
perfect son, then he did not want one at all.
Monica had been barely
supporting her family by working as a domestic house worker
for a white family in town. However, when the family found
out she had HIV, they fired her as they “did not want their
children to get AIDS by drinking out of the same cup she
had used, touched or washed.”
When we asked Monica what her dreams for her and Luciano
would be, she remained silent. Her eyes became glassy with
tears, tears she would not let fall. We asked her if she
had any hope. She looked us straight in the eye, and said
‘no.’ With your help, we encouraged Monica to move out of
her shack and closer to a support network of distant
relatives. We supplied her with groceries, vegetables and
fruit to regain her strength, and she is now on
anti-retrovirals.
We are excited to see Monica regain her strength, and
possibly join/initiate a support group to educate people in
her community about prevention, treatment and care for
HIV/AIDS.
How can you help?
Leur Présence African Aid and
Development Inc.
‘DEVELOPING EVERY ASPECT OF HUMAN LIFE…..’
