Tzu Chi soothes South Africa AIDS epidemic
-- Help for AIDS Orphans in South Africa
In South Africa, the country
with the highest number of HIV positive
population in the world, AIDS is a ubiquitous threat. In some
of the townships, over 40 percent of the residents are infected
with the disease.
With no cure able to eradicate the virus,
the epidemic has grown into a very serious problem in the
form such as AIDS orphans. There are more than one million
AIDS orphans in the country.
With nearly 1,000 local Zulu members and
over 80 dedicated volunteers, Taiwan Buddhist Compassion Relief
Tzu Chi Foundation (Tzu Chi) visits the AIDS patients in the
township periodically. Although the townships are spread sporadic
across the KwaZulu countryside, these volunteers, also underprivileged
themselves, carry out these caring trips tirelessly year round.
Dories Makes Orphans' Day
One person who is doing her part to help, is a local Tzu Chi
volunteer, Dories. Although physically disabled herself, she
has taken on the responsibility of caring for seven children
orphaned by AIDS.
After kneeling by their father's grave,
the Namande children turn around to their mother's grave beside
it. The two pairs of twin sisters, fourteen and six, and their
three year old younger brother, lost both their mother and
father in two short years, between 2002 and 2004.
"I remember Dories always brings clothes
and toys when she comes to see us", one of the sister,
HIV positive Mondu Namande said.
Without money, the seven children rely
on the kindness of Tzu Chi volunteer Dories, who has taken
them all under her wing.
Afraid that the growing children were not
getting enough to eat, Dories and her sisters collected together
five rand - or 80 cents US$ - to buy some bread for them.
These AIDS orphans regard Dories as their
grandmother.
Helping herself through helping others
Dories lost her leg in a car accident, and now walks with
a prosthetic. She thought life had lost its meaning, but after
joining Tzu Chi at a vocational training course in Durban,
she can now support herself and is recovering from the emotional
strain of the accident.
"A Tzu Chi member, she came to me
and worked (to help me) so nicely. She gave me love, gave
me more to think about what I'm doing, helping someway and
someone in this area," said Dories Zwane, South African
volunteer, as she patiently teaches a neighbor how to use
a sewing machine.
It's difficult to imagine that every brick
of the home-cum-vocational training classroom was put together
by Dories. Although the walls may not be entirely straight,
through her actions, this 60 year old South African woman
proves that love can overcome physical obstacles.
To date, there are over 500 vocational
training centers hosted by the local Tzu-Chi volunteers. Not
only do they provide technical assistances, they inspire more
residents to join the action of helping others.
