April 4, 2006

Poverty in Africa beats any I've seen. We spent our day doing home visits to the Beneficiaries in the SIM program where we broke up into teams of 3 or 4, including one SIM staff worker, and did health assessments. The people welcomed us warmly into their humble living quarters. Many of the rooms were the size of our bathrooms in the states but they have found creative ways to expand their space. Some of the families have created lofts above their living quarters by using limbs from trees and cardboard. All of our patients are HIV positive and most are on ARV's (anti-retro viral medication used for treating HIV/AIDS patients). We gave them brief physical exams, discussed any medical problems they were having, and referred some to our clinic later this week. Because this is a wholistic program, we also discussed how they were doing socially and within their community and if they were experiencing any stigma because of their illness. We always ended our visit with sharing scripture and praying with each family group. The HIV/AIDS beneficiaries participating in this project project are all doing quite well and are very grateful for the assistance they are receiving for their families. Some shared stories of how their lives dramatically improved since starting on ARV's and being a part of the SIM support network. We are looking forward to returning tomorrow to continue our visits in the community.