Roses & Rosemary Visits South Africa
December 2008

In December 2008, two board members from Roses & Rosemary traveled to South Africa and met with one of the organizations we support, Cotlands. We were invited to personally observe the work of their Home Based Care outreach program in the community, which provides services to HIV-affected children in the comfort of their own homes. Roses & Rosemary has supported this Cotlands program since 2006, and raised $10,000 USD for them in 2008. We brought along 43 brand new teddy bears from the successful launch of our new fundraising and goodwill program, Traveling Teddy Bears for Orphans (www.rosesandrosemary.org/bears.htm) to give to the children who are supported by Cotlands Home-Based Care.

The Cotlands Home Based Care program provides palliative care to chronically and terminally ill children in their homes and empowers their primary caregivers to care for them in the absence of a trained caregiver. Currently, there are 12 Cotlands Home Based Care workers assisting over 250 HIV-positive children with services ranging from administering anti-retroviral medication to ensuring that the children in the household are being well-cared for. Most of the households that are visited are headed by grandparents as one or both of the parents have passed away from AIDS. In many of the areas where Cotlands provides these services, it is estimated that the HIV infection rate is more than 40% of the total, though this number can be difficult to measure as discrimination towards those who have discovered their HIV-positive status is still widespread.

We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to ride along with four Cotlands Home Based Care workers and a registered nurse as they visited their "clients" in the township of Soweto. Soweto is a sprawling, bustling urban area on the outskirts of Johannesburg, with a population of around 900,000, or one-third of the city's entire population. While many parts of this area have seen progress in the way of modernization, hundreds of thousands of people are still living in extreme poverty--many living in corrugated huts with no electricity or running water. We visited approximately 10 homes that day, and at each one we observed the dedicated work of Cotlands, listened to the stories each family had to tell, and handed out teddy bears to every child in the household. Although there are still thousands of children in the area who need assistance (and some days the problems they encounter seem insurmountable), the Cotlands RN says she can see that their work is making an impact, and even in the five years she has worked with Cotlands, she has seen a positive shift in people’s attitudes about HIV, with the spread of education about the disease.

There were many smiles throughout the day, and many heart-breaking moments. The stories of some of the special people we met along the way are below...

One of our first stops was to visit a small boy and his younger sister, both of whom are HIV-positive. They live in a household with their mother and their grandmother, who does most of the caregiving, as their mother is battling AIDS and was recently hospitalized for three months. She had just become healthy enough to return home, and was all smiles when we stopped by for a visit. The family graciously welcomed us into their home and was happy to give us water to clean our shoes, which were covered in mud from the street. Upon our arrival with the plush toys, the little girl ran outside and immediately gave one of our board members a giant hug. One Cowboy Alligator and Girly Teddy Bear later, there were smiles all around!

We saw to it that the mother was feeling better, and that the children were being well cared-for. With some skilled driving by the Cotlands nurse, we dislodged our van from the mud outside, and were on our way to the next home!

Later on, we visited a young boy and his grandfather, Wyclef. They live in a modest home with a small but beautiful vegetable garden. Wyclef was quite well-spoken and explained that he and the boy's grandmother care for him as his mother had recently passed away from AIDS. The boy was very thankful when presented with a Soccer Lion and sat with us as we chatted with his grandfather. They explained that the grandmother was at the local health clinic where she tends to a vegetable garden there. She raises vegetables to either sell or donate to the children who live in the nearby Cotlands residential orphan care facility.

We next stopped by the clinic to visit the boy's grandmother in the vegetable garden. She was absolutely delighted when we asked to see her vegetables! We told her what a fine job she was doing in raising her grandson given the circumstances. She paused, clutched her chest, teared up, and said that our kind words are what keep her going every day and give her great strength to continue in the future. It was powerful to see this kind, vivacious woman go from laughter to tears in an instant.

As we returned to the van, we heard her shout to a friend, "Look here! These people have come from overseas to visit me!" Her kindhearted spirit despite the sorrow in her heart truly touched us and well stay with us a very long time.

As we continued with our visits, we stopped in on two HIV-positive little girls who live with their mother and older brother in a building that was once an old mining hostel. The girls were sitting along watching TV in the home, which was quite small and dirty. When asked where their mother was, they explained that she had gone to a neighboring province, a good six-hour drive away, to ask their grandmother for permission to continue giving them their anti-retroviral medication. Their older brother was left to look after his sisters, but he was nowhere to be found. The girls had not been receiving their medication. The Cotlands Home Based Care workers were quite alarmed as the children can become resistant to HIV mediation if it is not taken regularly. We saw the small refrigerator that Cotlands had donated to the family, as the children's anti-retroviral drugs must be kept refrigerated. The workers quickly cleaned up the girls and administered their needed medications. As it was not clear when their mother would return, Cotlands returned that evening to prepare a meal for the girls and clean the home. The commitment that the Cotlands Home Based Care workers make to the children they care for was very evident during the visit to these very sweet little girls.

Our last visit of the day certainly left one of the biggest impressions on us. We went to the home of a mother and her three young children, all of whom are HIV-positive. They live in a small, corrugated tin hut, one of many in the neighborhood situated behind and old, abandoned cinema. As we walked into the neighborhood, we noticed that many of the homes receive their electricity by running an overhead line from their roof to the cinema. We were concerned for the children playing outside and running over lines on the ground and near the low-hanging lines above.

We were warmly invited into this family's home where we found a baby girl having a nap on the bed, and her older brother playing outside. Their mother explained that her other daughter was away visiting relatives, and that she had already lost two other children to AIDS. She had framed photos of the two children--one hung on the wall while the other sat next to the sleeping baby girl on the bed. We left a bear on the bed for her to find upon waking, and her brother happily accepted a Soccer Lion, as he liked soccer too! Their mother, who was so grateful for the new toys for her children, was concerned that her daughter who was away would not receive a plush toy, and we happily left one for her as well.

More Photos From Our Trip