From Punishment to Hope: AIDS on the Rio Coco, Part 2

In my July newsletter, I shared a story about how the world price of gold was linked to the grief of the rapid transmission of HIV and AIDS in a remote region in Nicaragua.

At first glance, gold-panning would seem like a great windfall for poor Nicaraguan families—a welcome new influx of cash to supplement their income so they can buy the things they cannot grow or produce themselves. Once a family has accumulated enough gold flakes and wants to cash them in, a family member must travel several hundred kilometers downriver to the nearest town and sell them to gold buyers.

Not unlike the gold rushes that occurred in Canada or the U.S. in the previous century, a host of social evils await the person who is not accustomed to managing cash. Enticed by liquor and prostitution, many fall prey to temptation before they make the return trip to their communities. And the HIV virus goes home with them, multiplying the number of infections with spouses and newborn children.

In that newsletter in July, I shared how we implemented a pilot project that trained church leaders as facilitators to bring into discussion traditionally taboo subjects such as sexual behavior and the consequences of prostitution and infidelity compared to the biblical model of healthy boundaries for sexual relationships.

We discussed what HIV virus and AIDS are, how they spread, and what a person can do if someone contracts this disease. Before the new facilitators left the training, they practiced how to communicate these messages to the youth and young adults in their communities. As church leaders, they also made church action plans to support families living with HIV in their communities.

Three months after the training, we went back to the same communities to determine how the churches had progressed on their action plans. The entry and exit surveys indicated that there had been significant changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behavior, but we also we wanted to hear firsthand if the project was making an impact. We spent two days upriver listening to testimonies from the focus group members. We listened to leaders share their experiences when they replicated the training and saw members of their churches embrace those in the community who are suffering from this devastating disease. 

"…She was expecting her first child when she tested positive for HIV. She didn’t know what HIV was, but her partner did and that very day, he left her and their unborn child, making them homeless." 

It wasn’t until my most recent visit to this remote area that I was actually personally confronted with the severity of HIV at a very personal level. The pastor of a church introduced me to a young lady who represents the experience of many other women in her situation. 

Two years ago, Serena (not her real name) made what she thought would be a routine visit to the local health clinic. She was twenty five years old and expecting her first child when she tested positive for HIV. Serena didn’t know what HIV was, but her partner did, or at least he thought so. That very day, he left her and their unborn child, making them homeless. 

Although her mother was somewhat accepting of the news, the rest of Serena's extended family was not as understanding, and they distanced themselves from her. Word about it got out in the community, and suddenly the little income Serena earned from washing peoples’ clothes dried up. No one wanted her in their home, let alone have her handle their clothes.

Serena was depressed; she felt abandoned and was without an income to suppo
rt herself. On top of all of this, she was four months pregnant. The local health clinic was able to provide anti-viral drugs for the HIV when they were available, and Serena was advised to give birth by cesarean to avoid “vertical transmission” of the virus to her newborn baby. 

Fast forward a year. Serena's baby son is now a year old and from outward appearances he is healthy. She tried to get him tested several times at the clinic, but each time the equipment was either not working or they didn’t have the material to do the tests. So she still does not know whether the child is also living with the virus. 

Some healing has taken place within Serena's family, and they are speaking to her again. Serena currently lives in the home of a family member and is scraping by with her clothes-washing jobs. But the virus has taken a toll on her body, and her health failed three times in the past year. So far, she has managed to recover each time. 

If you ask Serena about the most significant thing that happened to her during this difficult time in her life, she readily will tell you about the pastoral care she has received from a pastor who participated in the HIV and AIDS training. Living in the midst of hostility, the encouragement and food she received from his church has made her feel accepted.

Pastor Eduardo is also helping to track down the baby’s father so that he can share in the responsibility of raising their son. Most important, Serena says that Pastor Eduardo’s counsel has helped her replace the feeling that God was punishing her  with a new sense of hope, even as she is now in the last stages of HIV. 

Mark VanderWees