Third success story

 

The Maedza Family came to the attention of the Isibindi Child and Youth Care Worker in Limpopo when the youngest child, three year old Lutendo became very sick.  In the process of identifying his needs, the CYCW became acquainted with the whole family, and initiated several interventions that are serving to strengthen the family individually and collectively on many levels. The health issue was most urgent and most critical. The CYCW realized that young Lutendo was in serious need of professional medical attention and advised the mother to take the child to the heath clinic for testing.  But the mother did not understand the gravity of the situation and it was a very challenging job to encourage and convince her to do this, the formal heath care system being beyond the scope of her everyday lifestyle.  But the CYCW’s patience, persistence and demonstration of support paid off, and eventually, they both took the child to the clinic, where he was found to be infected with TB.  Treatment commenced immediately, but his health did not improve.  Fortunately, Mrs Maedza now trusted the CYCW and they went back to the clinic for further testing – and this time he was found to be HIV Positive. The family had to learn to understand and cope with two serious and life threatening diseases that historically had never been present in traditional societies, and it was stressful for all.  They had to take Lutendo to hospital now, and there he commenced his ARV treatment. The CYCW had observed Mrs. Maedza own health problems during this period. She had developed considerable trust with Mrs. Maedza, and this enabled her to propose a further intervention – for the mother herself to go to the clinic for testing.  This is not an easy thing in a rural village to do, because there is so much of shame, stigmatism and denial associated with HIV AIDS, especially for women. But because she now understood so much better both the seriousness of the disease, and the opportunities for, and had also begun to see the benefits of problem solving rather than avoidance and despair, she was able to follow the CYCW advice; she was also found to be HIV Positive, and commenced ARV treatment as well.  Both she and her child responded well to treatment, and they can feel the definite improvement in their health. They are strongly committed to adherence to treatment.  Taking care of their health has also meant maintaining a balanced diet, and all the family are benefiting from this.  Of course, the next difficult issue is assessing the father’s health, and getting him tested for HIV AIDS. In the course of the months, keeping her focus on her other child care responsibilities, the CYCW got to know the father and the three other older children, Miriam, who was seventeen, Netti, ten and Nondiwe, eight.  She learned that the first born child did not have any birth document; this was a special challenge because of her age.  She helped the family to register at Home Affairs, and to obtain Miriam’s birth certificate; she has also applied for her ID book.  All of this is very important at this time, because Miriam is in matric, and she and her CYCW are now busy with applications to university.  In fact, her education has become very important to her – she doesn’t only go to the local ISIBINDI safe park to play, but she is taking extra tutoring there for her matric studies!  Her younger sister Netty’s horizons are already focused beyond play – she is scheduled to participate in the next ISIBINDI Adolescent Development Program. The future is looking a lot brighter for the Lutendo family, and many of the supports of the ISIBINDI program have been integrated into their daily lifestyles and behavior.