Reality.

What is your reality?

Let me tell you about someone else’s reality. A lot of someones, actually.

Reality for a group of class 7 boys. A free HIV/AIDS clinic comes to the slum. You can get tested. You can know your status. Scary thought when you really don’t know what the outcome will be. When you know that there is a possibility that you are HIV+.

I walked into the class 7 room to see a bunch of boys holding yellow cards and discussing something amongst each other in Kiswahili. They each excitedly held out their cards to me and said “I’m negative!!” The joy. If I could express to you the joy in their voices. And on their faces. “I’m negative!!”

One boy told me that this is the fourth time he has gotten tested. “And I’m still negative Andrea!”

Another boy said that this was his very first time. “And I tested negative, Andrea!!”

I told each of them how happy I was for them. It was an exciting occasion for these.

But what about those who’s result wasn’t what they wanted to hear” To see on their yellow card “HIV+”?? What about those? Their reality will be the fact that they now have to live with this awful disease. They now have to live with the shame. With the disgrace. What about their reality?

There is a small boy in the nursery class. His name is John. He is six years old. He has AIDS. John is so sick. They fear he is in the last stages. He barely eats. His father refuses to take care of him. His mother passed away a few months ago. John is dying. What about his reality? He did nothing to deserve getting this killing disease. He was just born. Born to die. We all are, but not like this. It is difficult to even look at this boy. It is as though his spirit has already left. It is as though he has lost any will to live. It is as though this tiny little six year old boy has given up on life. What about his reality?

What about the two boys in class 6? Born with this disease. Having experienced much discrimination and disgrace already in their young lives, they know what it means to be shunned. To be unwanted. To be unloved. Because of a disease they did nothing to contract. What is going to become of them? What about their reality?

What about those girls who get raped? Many by people in their own family. What about them?? Getting abused is awful enough, but what about when the attack gives them a disease? A disease like AIDS? Their lives have been forever altered. Their future has been forever changed. What about their reality?

Think about your reality.

Think about the reality of these children in this slum.

Please, please remember to pray for them.