Infinite Hope: Challenges and Prayer Requests

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Challenges and Prayer Requests

Hello Friends!

Things are getting very frustrating here as the public sector strike has been on for over 2 weeks now. This means that the schools, as well as clinics and hospitals and all other government offices have been closed for this time. It’s really impacting the HBC volunteers and their patients – many are suffering without being able to get medical assistance, and they can’t afford to pay to see a private doctor. People who are supposed to collect chronic medicines (for blood pressure, epilepsy, and ARVs for AIDS) are having great difficulty doing so. This could have dreadfully vast implications in the community if this strike doesn’t come to an end soon.

The Injesuthi Clinic, which normally has a queue at least 100 people long every morning, has been limited to seeing only emergency cases – and many are afraid to go in for even those cases. People are suffering greatly, and there seems to be no end in sight. AIDS-related opportunistic infections left untreated can quickly progress to fatal illnesses.

The frustration is that the public workers are being intimidated by the unions, who in term are jostling around for political power and influence. This is the biggest strike since the New South Africa came in after Apartheid in 1994. Below you’ll see links to articles on this, if you’re interested.
Public service strike disrupting HIV care in South Africa – AIDSMap News
Civil Servants' Strike Intensifies in S. Africa – Washington Post
Public worker strike disrupts South Africa – Chicago Tribune

*Please pray that both the unions and the government will come to their senses so that the country can get back to normal.

*Please pray for healing and protection for the sick suffering without any access to treatment.

Please also pray for assistance and hope for the many orphans in South Africa. I’ve heard the most disturbing stories about orphan situations throughout Amangwe in the last couple of weeks: staying alone without food or clothes to keep warm in this winter weather; staying 12 kids together with a sick granny; a 10 year old boy staying entirely alone, etc. Pray we’ll be able to find sustainable, empowering ways to support, encourage and love on these kids.

Thank God for the exciting developments within the Winterton church community to bring together and advance the work of multiple ministries, Thembalethu being just one of them. Simunye, the name of the interdenominational committee, well-represents God’s work: In Zulu it means “We are one”.

I’m very grateful for your support and prayers!

With love,
Betsy

Join me in Praying for the Amangwe Community

Praise God for the land granted us and the new building that we’ve managed to put up!
Pray for an end to the stigma and denial surrounding HIV/AIDS in the Amangwe community – For courageous local people to come forward and openly talk about the huge devastation of AIDS in their community.
Pray for God’s provision and equipping of Thembalethu as we move forward in the work God has called us to do.
Pray for health, provision and hope for the many sick adults and orphaned children in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Pray for provision and wisdom as we move forward to establish Thembalethu Care Centre as a place of hope and love in the midst of Amangwe Tribal Area.
Pray for the HBC mommas that they would continue to be encouraged by God’s word and the fellowship of other believers to continue to deepen in their faith journeys.
Pray that God would build up strong, godly Christian leaders for the Amangwe community.

Jargon Buster

Adherence Training - The required three-module (three day) training given to HIV+ people who are on their way to accessing ART. The three modules cover topics including basic HIV, healthy living with HIV, and ARV adherence. The focus of the third module is to emphasize the need for the patient to takes his/her ARV medication according to the prescribed schedule.

AIDS - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome; starts out as HIV, then becomes AIDS as the immune system damage becomes evident and opportunistic infections arise. document.

ARV(s) - Anti-retroviral(s) the multi-drug cocktail of treatment for AIDS that converts it from a terminal to chronic condition.

CD4 count- The measure of immune system strength through a blood test. If below 200, the patient can access ARVs immediately, if above 200, the patient must watch their health closely, and recheck their CD4 regularly.

Drug Resistance - Poor adherence to ART can lead to a public-health emergency where HIV virus mutates to develop a strain resistant to the positive effects of the treatment.

Gogo - [Zulu] grandmother

HBC - Home-Based Care, a grassroots network of (mostly) mommas who voluntarily look after the sick and orphaned in their community. With good training, they can be the eyes of the community to identify possible HIV/AIDS patients, motivate and assist them in receiving support and treatment. They also have the potential of remaining life-long treatment supporters of their patients on ARVs to ensure good adherence to the treatment.

HIV - Human Immuno-deficiency Virus, a virus that attacks the immune system of a person. It often lives in the body of an infected person for years before it shows any symptoms.

Opportunistic Infections - Infections that take advantage of the body's weak immune system. Some of the most common in South Africa are tuberculosis, meningitis, pneumonia, and oral thrush.

TB - Tuberculosis, is a disease most commonly infecting the lungs, and the number-one killer of HIV+ people. TB has been around for centuries and today infects one-third of the world’s population, killing almost two million people a year.