Jesus replied: "`Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:37-40
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers.…”
Luke 10:29-30
Bridging Program
We are so grateful for the funds we received as a grant from the UPC Caring Community for an extension of our HIV/AIDS outreach in what we call the ‘bridging program.’ Through the funding we are able to work together with local doctor and chairman of our board, Dr. Johan Düring, to provide access to the much more efficient private channels of anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment, and then ‘bridge’ patients over to the government ARV program. This program is envisioned to save valuable time in accessing treatment for the patients, who otherwise wait up to six or eight weeks in accessing the life-saving treatment. As this is a new initiative, we continue to learn more about how to make this happen.
Also to discuss the level of support required to make this happen: from Xoli and myself, to the Home-Based Caregivers, and the patients and their family.
In the process of figuring all this out, the key question has arisen in my mind of how far an individual, a community would be willing to go to care for their neighbor. How far would you be willing to go? How far would I be willing to go in caring for my neighbor? I can’t help but think of Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan, and how far he went out of his way to ‘help his neighbor’ and how Jesus demonstrates not just what loving your neighbor means, but who is included in the neighbor bit. Individuals, home-based caregivers do this every day. For them it’s a way of life. But given the vast extent of HIV/AIDS illness and orphans in the Zulu community, how far can local individual action be taken? Just how much sickness, and desperate need can a community provide assistance to?
The reality is there is not a family untouched by HIV/AIDS. Not an individual in KwaZulu-Natal who has not lost someone they love.
I am really beginning to believe that, despite the Zulu people’s broad definition of family and family responsibility, the vast level of need that the HIV/AIDS epidemic has brought on demands beyond the absolute maximum of what a people can give. When their mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins and children are getting sick and needing their care, how can they be expected to be free to help their neighbor in his moment of need? I have gone through seasons with one wedding every weekend, but that was only a brief period, an exceptional summer. Here people have become accustomed to attending a funeral monthly, or in some seasons, weekly. It’s unbelievably sad to see the reality of what AIDS has done to this community.
Yet, the Home-Based Caregivers are an exception to the norm of giving to not only their immediate and extended family, but also to their entire neighborhood. But how much can we expect of them? The hardships of poverty are difficult enough already: fetching water at the pump, fetching wood in the forest or up the mountain, running a business for extra cash, walking, walking everywhere; looking after grandchildren… the list could go on. And then there’s the emotional and spiritual resources required to keep going, to continue to help others amidst the deaths, the desperation, the destitution of the children and families left behind after their breadwinner has passed away.
How much, how far can a community be expected to give? This question has been rolling around in my mind in recent weeks, I have come to the realization that despite the best efforts of people like the Home-Based Caregivers in the community, the need is too great for them to cope on their own. To be able to deal with the level of need in the community, they really need help. From people like me and you. Thank you for your support of them, of the Amangwe community.
I pray that God will give us all increasing amounts of strength to continue to love our neighbors, wherever they may be.
Blessings and love to you,
Betsy
