One year ago, a mother died of AIDS. She had a daughter and an HIV Positive husband.
One day, the father was out for work, their 12-year-old girl was left home alone since also the stepmother had gone to buy food in the market. The 12-year-old girl locked herself in the house and set herself and the house on fire. What could have provoked this 12-year-old to end her life in this way? What could we say to the grieving father while counseling him?
I am Birabwa Betty, a nurse and I receive a lot of patients with burnouts, vomiting, HIV/AIDS infection. For a while I was scared and I could ask myself all the possible questions a nurse asked to work in this situation would I have worked in Meeting Point International for seven years as a nurse and for all this period I have come to understand the truthfulness of Rose’s statement: “The greatest need of a human being is the need of belonging”.
Looking at how Rose stays in front of me and how she is always available for me, is something that motivates me to work and this has built my confidence in my nursing skills as well as my counseling competence. I feel really happy when I treat a patient and the following day I see her with a smiling face, feeling well and appreciating for the drugs given to her that made her better. This increases my affection towards my profession. In this way, I am encouraged even by my patients. While counseling, I have come to understand that a relationship with a person being treated is very important. I observe this during the times spent with my patients in Kireka, who came in with burn, confused over some situations and friendship with this person gives you the possibility to speak because they open up to you and by the time we part at least there is a relief in a person’s life and you have changed not only their life but also find yourself changed too.
Meeting Point International entered the adventure with the sick with the help of the nurses and works with communities in order to respond to these questions.