A Mother's Plight

From the moment we entered Ntsonki’s one room shack, my eyes were riveted. With advanced AIDS and in a weakened condition, she is the sole caregiver for her infant twins. Her living space is approximately the size of two double beds. She has no electricity and no means of keeping milk for the babies. In the ceiling, rags and plastic bags were wedged between cracks of wood to keep out the draft. When we arrived, she had a metal cylinder of hot coals at the foot of her bed, preparing to cook. She had made the coals by drying mud in the sun.

            The nursing sister told us that Ntsonki often cries. Who will take her children when she is gone? She has no family support, and this is the typical loneliness suffered by those with AIDS in Africa, as the stigma is strong.

            The Hospice nurse left Ntsoknki a food parcel with beans and rice, flour and other nutritional items. The American team gave her 100 Rand, the result of our fundraising. She clutched this tightly and whispered her thank you repeatedly.

            We made other visits equally compelling, but it is this woman’s eyes that I will most remember.

            Shane and Lori, thank you for your messages!!

Roxie