“Ah tel God tehnki”.

Towards the end of the rebel war ECOMOC soldiers had been brought into Sierra Leone, to try to bring some form of law and order to the country. Like any intervention in a country such groups need to be housed and fed. Freetown already had army barracks at Wilberforce, and so it was to this place that the troops were located. Extra buildings were needed and constructed. “Wilberforce Barracks” is now an residential area of low cost housing in Freetown, and not just the place where troops live. ECOMOC troops left a number of years ago, and some of the former barrack buildings provide housing for many families looking for a place of shelter. We walked through an area of the original barracks with Doran, a nurse from the Methodist Church Sierra Leone - People Living with HIV and AIDS project, to make a home visit to one of their clients who is living with the HIVirus. Hawa, the mother of the family, had been contacted, to ask if she would be willing for Peter and I to visit her. MCSL is very careful in the way that they conduct the home visits, as often the neighbours are not aware of the status of the person they are visiting. This was the case with Hawa. A mother of four boys, all of them HIV positive, she had moved into the room of a house, as her husband had abandoned her, once he knew her status, even though, he himself is also positive. We went into the dark room, made of mud blocks, with a concrete floor, measuring 12’ x 8’. It had a zinc roof, but the rain-filled sky above could be seen through the holes, made from the nail holes when used on a previous building. The only protection for the window was chicken mesh. A piece of foam, covered with sheets, was on the floor. There was just one chair to sit on. Hawa and her four children share this space with a 5 more people.

Confidentiality was just one of the big issues of the conversation. She did not want her neighbours to know her status because of the possibility of being homeless again. All of them are taking antiretroviral drugs, but they are kept in a friend’s house who is also HIV+. The medication is given at 5am in the morning before the rest of the room is awake, so they do not know what is happening. Taking the medication on an empty stomach is not a good idea, and she spoke of her children sleeping a lot. The youngest child was sick, and needed to go the hospital for medication. At least this is now provided free. The three other boys were on holiday from school, but did not know their end of year results as the teachers were demanding almost £1 per child in order to give the results. The teachers have to find another way of supplementing their income, especially if they have not been paid.

Like many other women, Hawa discovered her status from blood tests done at the ante natal clinic. All pregnant women who attend ante natal clinics are tested, given counselling, and prescribed free drugs. She spoke of the father of the children. He too had been tested and is positive. But it is Hawa who is seen as bringing the sickness into the home. He now has another “wife” who is pregnant.Hawa shared with us her own health problems, and that she has been bleeding most of the time for 4 months, but did not have the money to pay for the medication. Hopefully this problem will be resolved in the next couple of days.

MCSL had helped Hawa , with the provision of a home kit which includes a bucket, blankets, and toiletries as well as food, and she spoke in great detail of how this had made a difference to the life of her family. She also highlighted how the fortnightly visits of the volunteers gave her encouragement, and removed the feeling of isolation. Before we left we prayed with the family, and the most common phrase spoken during the time together was “Ah tel God tehnki”.

We then moved to another part of Wilberforce Barracks where we visit Selia, who was recovering well, having been in hospital for two weeks. Feeling strong and eating well, she too said over and over again. “Ah tel God tehnki”. Like Hawa, she had discovered her status through the ante natal clinic, but unfortunately both her children had died. Her husband had left her, but friends had been encouraging him to return, that she needed his support and encouragement. He had not been tested for the virus. Her living conditions were slightly better than those of Hawa, and had friends that she could talk to. Her father knew of her status and though angry at first came to realise that his daughter needed him, and so had started to show more help. We prayed with her and left with the same words echoing -“ Ah tel God tehnki”.

We then drove much closer to the centre of Freetown, and not far from the college where we both teach. We went to visit Teresa, living in a room of the first floor. She had been seriously ill, three years ago, could not see, hear, or walk. Taken into hospital her blood was tested for the virus. Her daughter, 25 years at the time, was with her when she was given the news. She is the only member of the family who knows her status. Teresa’s husband works in the police, and says he has been tested negative. He knows Teresa is taking medication, but she says it is for sickle cell anaemia, which is common in Sierra Leone. We talked about safe sex, when just one partner is positive, and she said that they use condoms as they do not want to have any more children. She has developed some intriguing strategies to hide her status.

I had met Teresa at the monthly meetings in Wellington, and so there was an exchange of humour, when we went in, as I had taught the group the action song, “ Head , shoulders, knees and toes”. Laughing, Teresa told us how, if clients from the clinic meet each other in the street, they touch their head and shoulders as a greeting! Teresa hopes to be at the meeting on the third Friday in the month. Again we left with the words “Ah tel God tehnki”.

All the conversations we had were in Krio. Peter and I do not need literacy classes but we need to learn how to communicate in Krio. The empowerment of such women as Hawa, Selia and Teresa, through becoming literate and numerate, can make another difference to their lives. A group of people from MCSL, living positive lives, are to be trained at the end of July, to make this possible. They will then go on to teach their friends.

The Methodist Church Sierra Leone - People Living with HIV and AIDS project has over 300 clients on its books. Home visits are made to 46 of them, who live in various parts of Freetown. The commitment of the full time nurses is tireless, often not taking their annual entitlement to holiday leave. There is a team of volunteers, counsellors and social workers who work with the nurses, all of them HIV positive, present themselves as positive, optimistic people. For all of them, and organisations like Christian Aid that provides some of the funding for this vital project “ Ah tel God tehnki”.

Note. The training of Adult Literacy Facilitators will take place 19-30 July. Classes for the women who attend the monthly meetings will proceed, subject to funds being available. If you can find time to pray for this, “Ah tel God tehnki”