Of all the children that have captured my heart here in Dondo, there is one that stands out. It is not likely that this little boy will ever grow up to have a voice to tell you his story so I feel compelled to share it for him. I share it in hopes that it might spark something in whoever is reading this to help.
The first day I met Joao he was wrapped in blankets carried by his father to the nutrition center. I commented to one of the workers that he must have been born just a few weeks ago. I was so excited to hold him! As I held him in my arms I knew that this was not a well-baby, his breaths were shallow and I could feel his bones under the blanket. His father tenderly undressed him to put him on the scale, he weighed less than 8lbs. His Dad looked at him with sadness in his eyes, I soon learned why. Joel is 9 months old and his mother died of AIDs soon after his birth. Both the child and the father have AIDS and are getting progressively worse.
HIV can be transmitted from mother to child through birth or breast milk. The chances of the virus being transmitted this way are reduced to less than 2 percent if the mother is taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) during pregnancy. The problem is that this medication is not available for everyone. For those who are able to get the medication they often do not see the need to take it because the symptoms have not become life altering yet or they don’t know they have the virus. If babies who are born with HIV are not treated it is not likely that they live past their 2nd birthday.
But there is hope! There are organizations all over Africa that are dedicated to getting medication and education to people to stop the spread of AIDS. CRI is one of them. Whether it is through prayer, money, time, talents or advocacy we can all be a part of not letting Joel’s story become any other child’s story.
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| Joao and his Dad. |
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