AIDS and Hospice

In addition to helping over 800 children, Hope For Children sponsors many other programs. They teach community members "urban agriculture" (growing food and spices in every inch of dirt, or in every possible container they can find, within the small area of their enclosed "yards.") They also teach AIDS education for the community and have established a "Hospice" where six people who are close to dying from AIDS are housed, given medicine, good food and nutritional supplements free of charge.

It is surprising that in 90 to 120 days, many of these people have been returned to health and are able to look for a job and move out of the hospice. There is always another person waiting for a bed. Many of the HFC staff have been hired from those who have recovered at the Hospice and when HFC has no jobs available, they help find one.



The Hospice was spotless, cheerful and full of light. The woman at the far left in the picture had been emaciated and at death's door 45 days ago. She announced today that she is ready to look for work. The man next to her has been at the hospice for 30 days and still has aways to go. All were friendly and very grateful for the unexpected opportunity to live.



Another project is HFC's Youth Center. The teenagers come here after school and during their vacations to improve their English and learn job skills. Many of the computers in the lab are broken or infected with viruses, but a Canadian non-profit group will be coming this summer to repair the computers and teach the children how to do so in the future. The whole plan came into being just last week when I asked a young Canadian HFC volunteer to take a look at the computers and see if they could be fixed. He, in turn, met someone connected with the Canadian organization and after a few meetings, everything was set-up for this summer.

I am constantly amazed at how many people are here from all over they world trying to make a difference. Even though the scope and extent of the problems at first seems insurmountable, each little effort is a step closer to overcoming the poverty and trauma that this country is experiencing.


Dorothy