Field report (HIV/AIDS) from N'Zérékoré, Guinea

Fighting back misery and HIV

Five-year-old Joachim and three-year-old Jacqueline were running in the vegetable garden, through the eggplants and chillies rows, while their eleven-year-old brother, Raphael, was collecting some ripe vegetables to be cooked for lunch. The young boy was singing one of the latest rap songs he had heard on the radio. Isaac, their father, was looking at them peacefully and happily. But only a year ago, the picture was very different.

Isaac still remembers the family situation back then. He recalls how nights were cold and how the soil they were sleeping on was hard and humid. He remembers very well how he always used to think about what he would be able to give his children to eat the next day, to avoid having them sleep once again on an empty stomach. He also remembers his tears of desolation. And to worsen the situation, the disease was eating him up slowly. What had he done to deserve all this?

When he was 38, Isaac married 20-year-old Mary. They got three children but, in 2004, the young mother abandoned her family. Jacqueline, the last born, was only one. That's when the real harsh life began for Isaac and his three children.

As misfortunes never come singly, Isaac discovered early 2006 he had HIV. Staggered by the news, he didn't know to whom to turn to and started losing hope. Getting weaker and weaker every day, he could no longer carry on his profession (Isaac used to make steel pots) and was really worried about his children's future.

Isaac finally decided to seek support from his brother, a priest. With the little he had, the brother tried to help Isaac and his children. He would also provide Isaac with the needed psychological support and take him to the distant health centre to get antiretroviral drugs.

Supporting children in the community at N'Zérékoré, Guinea

One day in September 2006, Isaac's brothers welcomed him with a big smile. He had good news for him and the children: they had been accepted on the family strengthening programme newly launched by SOS Children Guinea in N'Zérékoré. Isaac was delighted with the news and went straight away to Father Felix, the person in charge of the coordination of the programme in the community.

Isaac and his three children belong to the first group of families supported by the programme in this location. During the past year, Isaac has regained his honour and dignity as head of the family.

Today, he's coping better with his disease and also regained strength thanks to the nutritional supplement the family receives through the programme. He's really happy to see his children going to school with all their friends and still gets supports from his brother and some sisters to deal with some childcare issues he was not used to deal with before.

Things are much better now! But still, Isaac still has one concern…He's hoping to get a nice harvesting this year. With the support of the family strengthening programme, through a local credit union, Isaac has been able to get involved in vegetable gardening. This helps him to improve the nutritional diet of this family as well as enables him to generate some income.

Isaac has one final thing to say: "I have now really regained hope that one day, with all the support I have received from SOS Children, I'll be able to care for all the needs of my children. And for that, I wish to say a big thank you to SOS Children!"

SOS Children has been working in Guinea since 1985 and the children's village at N'Zérékoré welcomed children in 2001. 130 children have a loving family home at this children's village and a further 900 children and their families are supported through an SOS schools and college. A family support programme gives practical support for children and their families in the community.