Bedridden

We visited a 49 years old male client at Mthimba who is HIV and TB positive.  He was bedridden, not drinking his treatment because he was using traditional herbs and he was not recovering. We called an ambulance because he was weak at the time we arrived, and he went to the hospital.  They took a lumber puncture on his spinal cord, and after that he was unable to walk as he was paralyzed.  He had a wound developing on his spinal cord.

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On our second visit, we found that he was lying outside for fresh air.  We observed the wound again and found that it was healing.  He was happy for our advice.

We advised his mother to clean the wound with warm, clean water and salt, to reduce infection, and to visit the nearest clinic.  We also gave nappies and linen savers.  We advised his family to help him to practice passive exercises, teaching them how to change his position.  We prayed for our patient.

Medication, medication, medication!

1We visited a 35 years old female at Mthimba area; she is HIV positive and she was not drinking her treatment well. She went to the clinic, do HIV testing, and they didn’t counsel her. They just gave her HIV medication, and she was drinking it any time of the day.

We have now counselled her, and she understood everything and she was happy.  We told her that she must join the support groups that we have.  We gave her a food parcel, and also prayed with her and encouraged her to study the word of God.

She is living in a one-room shack with her two children.She is not working, so they survive with the child support grant.

[Enabling patients to take the correct HIV medication regularly,at the right time of day, and with food, is a constant challenge  – and vital to staying healthy.]

 

A Happy Meeting

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Sorry to hide her smiling face

Lorencia, one of the Patient Care team members, happened to see Q. emerging from a pile of corrigated iron after visiting a patient at Jerusalem.  She asked the driver to stop so that they could inquire more about the lady.

They found out that Q. seemed to suffering from depression, because of the things she was telling them:  quite a lot of things, including that her husband had left her for another woman. She believed that her husband was still coming back to live with her.  They had had a lot of children together.

Q. said that the shack she lived in was her home, and she did not want to be moved, but asked them for food.  Luckily the team had a few food parcels in their car, so they offered her one, which she was very happy to receive.  She was going to start preparing a meal right away.

Rain is good – leaking house is bad!

mnyambo-familyoctWe have been providing food parcels to the M. family for a while  now: P., 19, and her baby, C.; S., 10; and P., 9  – all girls.

Sellinah, their care worker writes: “Upon the food delivery, I found P. at the house.  S. and P. were still at school.  I found that the water come in the rooms , the rooms were fully of water everywhere.  They had run to their neighbours to sleep – their blankets were wet.  Inside, the house was clean, and outside things were packed well according to their size . The girls try very hard to keep the house clean.”

What more can we do?

Let’s make music!

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Merimbas and Djemba

You may remember that last year a local music charity supplied the Youth Skills Centre, K3, with instruments and a teacher.  They supplied another centre in Hazyview, north of Masoyi, in a similar way but it was not successful; so they have now re-located to K2, the Project’s main base.  Here, literally hundreds of children are enjoying the benefit – and Cloudia, a childcare worker, has started to help out!

How do you take this medicine?

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We visited a male patient aged 45, taking ARV and TB treatment but not recovering. We thought that he is mixing tradition treatment with ARV’s; he was living in a dirty environment. He also told us that he was not drinking other tablets cause the nurses from the clinic never taught him how to.   We took that medication back to the clinic and they told us how to drink it.  We returned to the patient to teach him how to drink it, and prayed with him.

An Act of Kindness

Constance is a house-building assistant at the Project.  She herself had been a destitute child who had been rescued by the Project.

S. and her children were waiting for a new house to be built for them, when her youngest son had pneumonia and died after a short illness.  “S. is currently safe and she is living with our young and brave care worker and my team building team member Constance, who was once a child of Masoyi HBC herself, but has now grown stronger and wiser. She took it upon herself to take in S. and live with her at her house after S. lost her son.  They are living in a house which Constance and her children also benefited from the organisation some years ago after they lost their mother.”

Click here to read previous news of S. and her family.

Another destitute family can now benefit from the new house when it is completed.

Defaulted on treatment

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We visited a male patient aged 42. He was on ARV treatment for ten years, and then he defaulted and he became sick and weak. On arrival, he was mentally disturbed, and his brother was helping him. His feet were swollen and painful, and he was using chair to mobilize.

Painful joins and swelling feet

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We visited a female patient aged 59, and taking ARVs treatment. We asked her for how long was she taking treatment and told us that it is 4 years. She complained of painful joins and swelling feet and told us that she is not working and depending on neighbours.

We advised her to elevate her feet on a pillow to reduce the swelling of feet, and gave her painkillers and to practise passive exercise. We promised her a food parcel the following week, and we encouraged her to continue with treatment, and prayed for her.