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End of a lonely road for an orphan of HIV/AIDS
Nalisha Kalideen. 10 June 2003. The Star. Republished courtesy of Independent Newspapers (Pty) Ltd.
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He left his brightly-painted zinc shack on a rainy afternoon, for a new home with no leaks and where everyone gets three meals a day.
Sithembiso (not his real name) (15) had been living by himself on the West Rand ever since his mother died of an HIV/AIDS-related illness in September 2002, attending school every day and relying on the goodwill of neighbours for food.
Sithembiso was one of the 28 orphans whose stories The Star published to highlight the inability of many orphans to access the government social grants to which they are entitled.
While Sithembiso lived alone in his green shack, he diligently attended school during the day and afterwards made sure that the spotless floors remained clean and that everything stayed in its proper place.
But now Sithembiso will no longer have the responsibilities of running a home - he has been taken to a place where he will, hopefully, be able to lead as normal a life as possible.
On Wednesday last week, Cora Bailey from Community Led Animal Welfare went to fetch Sithembiso to take him to the Mother of Peace, a community in Northriding, Randburg, that cares for children affected by HIV/AIDS.
Sithembiso fished his shoes out from under his bed and packed his clothes into a neat blue bag, ignoring the framed photograph of his elder brother that hung from a timber
beam. Sithembiso has lost contact with his brother, who only visited him occasionally; his only other sibling, his sister, died of an HIV/AIDS-related illness a few weeks ago.
He arrived at Northriding late in the afternoon, and seemed overwhelmed by the loud voice and the welcoming open arms of chairperson of the home, Marion Jamieson.
Sithembiso remained quiet as he was introduced to everyone and curiously looked around the smallholding and at two younger boys playing in the yard, who loudly asked him his name, helped him with his bag and took him along to see his
new room.
All the while, Sithembiso remained painfully shy, but when asked if he would want to stay at the home, he answered: "Yes."
But it wasn't just the people at Mother of Peace who opened their hearts to Sithembiso, but also children almost as poor as himself.
The pupils of Johannesburg Secondary School in Homestead Park were so moved by Sithembiso's story after their teacher read it to them, that they decided to try to help him.
Teacher Mohammed Kara encouraged the Grade 9 pupils to do what they could and soon they were bringing things that they thought Sithembiso could use: an old pair of jeans,
a shirt, blankets, a worn suit and even tins of food.
Sithembiso can stay at Mother of Peace for long as he chooses, and Bailey has agreed to regularly take him back to his shack to see that everything remains in order. |
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