CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
by Stan Dongo, Zimbabwe, June 1998.
THEME = AIDS
The Redemptorist Fathers of Zimbabwe have joined the battle
against the spread and effects of AIDS, but economic problems
make their efforts a drop in the ocean
Since the disease was detected in 1985, about one and a half million Zimbabweans are estimated to have caught the HIV virus.
The 20-40 age groups are the most affected, causing social and economic problems. In an exclusive interview recently, Father Ronald Mcainsh, a Redemptorist who heads a parish of more than 3,000 poor families in an overcrowded suburb near Harare, disclosed he was not happy with the government's economic policies, which make moves to improve the lives of orphans of AIDS victims, a mockery.
In the Tafara-Mabvuku parish, the Redemptorist Fathers have been assigned to look after more than 600 orphans of AIDS patients. Most of these orphans are the children of Malawian, Mozambican and Zambian immigrants. These orphaned children are always referred to the Redemptorist Fathers, by nuns of the Little Company of Mary, who run an outreach hospital ward for AIDS victims.
The Little Company of Mary Sisters, assisted by some local health workers and the Redemptorist Fathers, go round assessing the needs of the people, but because of the escalating cost of living, Father Mcainsh says his office cannot do more except provide food vouchers obtained with the help of European donors.
Because of the devaluation of the Zimbabwean dollar, each orphaned family, on average, gets a weekly food voucher worth about US $10. Apart from losing their parents, many of these orphans cannot go to school because there is no one to pay their school fees. There's also a major problem with providing the orphans with identity papers which are difficult to come by, due to the government's bureaucracy.
On countless occasions, Father Mcainsh has referred families to the government's social welfare department for assistance, but at the end of the day, pupils drop out of school because of the levies and examination fees which are not covered by government subsidies. Also, because of widespread poverty, only 5% of children attain the Ordinary Level Education Certificate.
Despite restricted financial means, the Fathers have some projects in the offing but due to lack of funds, very little has been done. Father Mcainsh stressed: "We do have some self-help groups and an adult literacy scheme for women, but we are unable to change the country's entire economic situation. There's no hope of improvement in sight, as long as the government spends more on defence than on health and education. Both the health and education budgets are not even a tenth of the defence budget". Because of pressure to reduce its expenditure, the government has unceremoniously suspended one of its pre-independence promises to deliver "health for all by the year 2000".
At this point it should be noted that the AIDS menace is increasing, with the highest death rates recorded in urban areas. The estimated daily cost of keeping an AIDS patient in most rural hospitals, is about US $10. In urban hospitals it is about US $50 according to World Bank figures. This means that many families living in the towns and cities are unable access to proper medical care when it comes to an AIDS situation.
The Catholic Church is one of those Christian organisations which have taken steps to help AIDS victims and their families, because the authorities at government hospitals have the reputation of discharging patients while they are still very sick.
Because of the desire to have large families, 30% of pregnant women are HIV positive, and 50% of children born to HIV mothers die within 2 or 3 years. As a result of traditional practices pertaining to family planning, at least 60,000 children have been orphaned by the AIDS menace.
END
CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
PeaceLink 1998 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement