The unsung heroes among us
Kaieteur News
March 24, 2007
There are some unsung heroes in this country and many of them would wish that it remains that way. They do what they have to do and go their merry way at the end of the day, sometimes having to leave their homes in the dead of the night when emergency calls.
For their effort they earn a stipend or a salary that belies the work that they do. Most of them are women because these days women appear to dominate the workforce and are among the first to volunteer for whatever programmes there are. For example, the volunteers associated with Cricket World Cup 2007 are for the greater part women.
But in this case the unsung heroes are the people who provide home-based care to people afflicted with HIV/AIDS. To date there are some 1,000 people who benefit from this programme which came into being in 2005.
The disease came to the country in the latter years of the 1980s when the first casualties were the members of the male gay community. This caused the rest of the Guyanese community to conclude that there was nothing to fear once one was not a member of the gay community.
Today, nearly three decades later we have come to regret our initial complacency because the disease has become entrenched in the heterosexual community. We have progressed a long way from the days when the majority of the victims are men. Five years ago, the number of people infected was equally divided between men and women. These days, given that a woman is more easily infected the number of infected women must have outstripped the number of men.
And it is here that our unsung heroes are making their presence felt. They take the treatment regimen to these people within the confines of their homes thus reducing the number of people who would be aware of their affliction. Despite the numerous programmes that target stigma and discrimination, people still tend to shun those who are afflicted.
The list of people, who on being infected and being left to their own devices, is long. Relatives have been known to evict their affected family members and in many cases the children of the affected have had to seek shelter elsewhere, sometimes on the streets.
These days treatment is being taken to the affected, and except for the home care provider and the people who coordinate the programme, none is the wiser.
What makes the home care provider even more treasured is the fact that prior to the advent of the home care provider the people who needed treatment had to make their own way to the clinics.
We now know that the early days of the treatment can be traumatic. The medication causes nausea and all manner of ill-feelings. So bad is it that many people simply drop off, choosing to allow the disease to progress to its ultimate conclusion. The home based care providers have changed all that. Not only have they got so many people back on the programme, but they have also helped counsel them.
What has actually emerged from this simple programme of people taking care to those at home is a sub-programme that is working to stop the spread of the disease. By talking to the affected people they have been able to diffuse anger and when people are angry they strike back.
It is this aspect of the programme that makes the home based care provider a hero. This country has seen the disease reach worrying proportions. Being as small as it is even this is devastating. We are losing a significant proportion of our development capability and if left unchecked we could reach the stage where we may have to import skills. But importing skills has a cost and the economy cannot afford that cost.
Then there are the children. The more the disease spreads the greater the number of AIDS orphans. This too has a cost because it is left to the state to provide for these children, something that is already being done.
We may never see the end of the disease, at least, not in this generation and so our efforts should be focused on stopping the spread. It is here that these home care providers are proving their worth. They are also providing for the children thus ensuring that the society does not abuse them or leave them with emotional scars that could have far reaching effects.