More than Numbers

Yesterday was the big HIV/AIDS testing event (VCT) in my village- and it went awesome! Over 500 people came out to hear the speakers, watch the drama and dance group and enjoy the food. Of those 500, 112 made the choice to be tested. This is a big step for my community. Prior to the event, only a handful of people knew their status. Out of those that were tested, only 4 came back HIV positive. That percentage is incredibly low (our national average is 16%), so either I've done an amazing job here, or the people that really need to be tested are still waiting (most likely).

Even though there were only 4 that came back positive, the impact of HIV hit very close to home for me. One 26 year old female who tested HIV positive was my closest neighbor in Simane Village where I lived prior to moving to the school area. She cooked me dinner my first night in the village, showed me where to draw water, and hugged me while I cried. She has 3 children that attend Club Mweka, and her husband has another wife and child. None of the children, or her husband were tested. She will go on Monday to talk with the hospital here in Choma about getting on anti-retroviral drugs. One of the other positive cases was a 3 year old boy whose mother is currently living with HIV. It is my desire to start a support group for those people living with HIV/AIDS, so we can assist them in any way possible. This disease is truly affecting, directly or indirectly, every person in Zambia.

I think one of the biggest changes that this experience has brought about in my life is the realization that behind every statistic there is a person. It's great to read that only 4 people tested positive, but to someone those 4 people mean the world. And the effects that their imminent deaths will have on our community will be felt deeply by many. Wednesday's event has helped to once again remind me why I came here and how vital it is that we combat this pandemic.