September 2004
East London, South Africa

e-newsletter #8

Dear Friends across the ocean,

Behind us lay: a whirlwind tour through Cleveland, Ohio, (it was great to connect with many of you in person) and Tacoma, Washington (for the global Joining Hands Against Hunger Consultation); and upon our return to East London, a journey to Pietermaritzburg (600 kilometers to the north) and a trip to Cape Town (1050 kilometers west), as well as the removal of some skin cancer on Ken’s nose at a local hospital.

Now we are ready to look ahead again. We notice in the Presbyterian Planning Calendar the date for AIDS Awareness Sunday, October 10. Here is the story of one person in South Africa infected with the disease. Meet Bomikazi.

“Bomikazi” means “big life” or “long life” in Xhosa. Bomikazi’s father gave her this name when she was born tiny, at the end of a difficult pregnancy. She turned out to be strong then, and she still considers herself a strong woman.

In 1998 Bomikazi was diagnosed as HIV positive. Recently she was hospitalized with severe headaches and told that she has active tuberculosis. We met Bomikazi at an HIV/AIDS counseling center, where she received advice regarding the side effects of her recently begun TB medication.

We told Bomikazi about this newsletter and asked for her permission to use her story, name and photograph. She agreed, after we assured her that none of these would be publicized on the African continent. While she told her mother, brother, and best friend about her illness (all three responded with disbelief), other friends in the community are not aware of her status. We asked Bomikazi what we should tell you about AIDS. “It’s not the end of the earth,” she said in English, which is a foreign tongue to her. “You have to be positive, not just HIV positive. You have to be strong. You have to believe that the God is with you. They will find a cure, perhaps soon.”

“Tuberculosis is the most common infection among—and leading killer of—people living with HIV/AIDS,” says an article in today’s local newspaper, reporting on the UN World Health Organization, currently meeting in Ethiopia. The WHO calls the deadly interaction of TB and HIV a global public health crisis.

Treatment for TB is available in most areas of South Africa, but the medication has to be taken with food to avoid severe side effects. The same is true to an even greater extent for AIDS treatment, which is currently being “rolled out” at some selected hospitals. People without regular access to food are, by all practical means, excluded from either treatment. Availability of nutritious meals, on the other hand, makes active TB less likely and increases the time span between HIV infection and death.

Does Bomikazi eat well? We did not ask her, but we noticed that the counselor at the center sent her home with two oranges.

Some churches in South Africa are beginning to reach out to those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. Faith communities can play an important role in overcoming the enormous stigma still attached to the disease by teaching that AIDS is not God’s punishment for sin, nor a curse by a demon, nor the result of witchcraft. Some congregations here have declared themselves “AIDS friendly.” One poster proclaims, “God’s Love Embraces People with AIDS—so should God’s people.”

On October 10, we invite you to join in the practice of a local congregation in East London, which lights an AIDS candle at the beginning of each Sunday worship service. Their prayer for the ceremony says:

We hold before God
those suffering from HIV and Aids,
their families,
those who care for them,
those organizations dedicated to fighting Aids in our community.

The lighting of this candle is a symbol to remind us
of the words of John’s Gospel
that there is a light that shines in the darkness
and that the darkness has not overcome it.

Do you agree with us that the smile on Bomikazi’s face bears witness to that light?

Susanne and Ken

The 2004 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 61

To support our ministry financially

Contributions from individuals may be sent to: PC(USA) Individual Remittance Processing, P.O. Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700. Please write “JHAH South Africa” and “Designated Account # H000109“ on the check and on the cover letter. Send a copy of the cover letter to: Presbyterian Hunger Program, 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202-1396. Or click on the "give" button below to contribute online.

Sessions may help the denomination to support us in the field by designating a portion of their annual GA mission giving to account # D506580.

Financial support for the educational and advocacy work of the JHAH Mission Group in the Presbytery of the Western Reserve may be sent to PWR, 2800 Euclid, Cleveland, OH 44115.