A Day in the Life of a Village Family
| Mother» The healthy mother wakes up around 4:00am to till the land before her children are ready to go to school. She takes with her a bucket to draw water and a rope to tie firewood, which she will use to prepare breakfast, if food is available.» At about 7:00am she rushes to the closest water well, which is normally about 1-2 miles away. Along the way, she gathers firewood.» The mother, with her youngest child tied to her back, goes to the river with other mothers to fetch an additional bucket of water, more firewood, and any food she can find.» All of the above activities depend on her health and the health of the children. | Child» The children are still asleep at this early hour. If the mother is lucky, she will be able to get water and return to prepare food in enough time before her children go to school.» The children are required to go to school with clean school uniforms and are not provided with any type of food at school.» Many times the schools are close enough for children to run home for lunch. But, the possibility of not having food is very high, depending on the mother’s health, or if she has returned from fetching water and has managed to get food.» All the above activities depend on the household state of health. |
A Day in the Life of a Village Family Coping With AIDS
| Mother» The mother, infected by HIV/AIDS, has four children, perhaps the oldest being 11-years-old.» The husband has died, and two of the four children are HIV/AIDS+ and are sickly from time to time.» The mother counts on her eldest daughter to wake up early and fetch water from the river. The daughter washes the mother’s wasting body and prepares food for her siblings.» The source of water is too far for an 11-year-old to carry a sufficient supply of water to meet the needs of the household.
» The mother dies and the villagers come together for a burial. But, most people are in the same state with few members of the community in good enough health to take care of the children and financially support them in any way. |
Child» The oldest child is in grade six, or is 11-years-old, and the mother is sick with advanced AIDS.» The brothers and sisters are sickly from time to time, and the 11-year-old needs to go to school and take care of the mother and siblings.» The 11-year-old often gets to school late and finally cannot go to school because her mother or siblings are too ill and need on-going support.» The child has no money to pay school fees such as tuition, books, the mandatory school uniform, and any other requirement.
» The 11-year-old child becomes the head of the household and tries to provide for her siblings, whose health continues to deteriorate. » The older child may become a victim of sexual harassment, particularly if the child is a girl. Prostitution becomes the only means to earn a living. |
~ Loyce Asigo Mbewa
President, Rabuor Village Project