Eighty thousand people live in the town of Petauke. At least seven thousand of them have HIV/AIDS.
Today our helper, Victoria, took Kelli and me around a neighborhood in Petauke. We went to a home with the most beautiful yard I’ve seen in Africa. There was a big shade tree surrounded by beautiful emerald-green grass, huge flowering bushes everywhere, and thriving potted plants taking up every inch of available space. The house itself was completely typical: mud brick and concrete, peeling paint, crowded with too-big furniture, but you could tell that the owner took pride in her home and wanted it to be as nice as possible.
Within a few moments, we met Jane, the owner/gardener. As we sat with Jane, I was able to piece together her story. Her only daughter is 19 years old and recently finished high school. She is a very active member in her local church. Her husband died in 2002, after being ill for 6 months. He was HIV+, and she and her daughter have since both tested positive as well. They have both been healthy for the past six years, but you can tell that Jane is embarrassed by her status; she won’t say in so many words that she has HIV, but will only talk about being tested and registering for assistance. She says that right now she’s “just okay.”
Jane’s husband had bought and paid for their home before he died, so she and her daughter have somewhere to live, but jobs are scarce in Petauke. She rents a small booth in the market to a merchant for a meager monthly income, but her days are empty. When I asked Jane what needs she saw in Petauke, she most wanted a support group for widows with HIV—to encourage them, to give them skills so they can support themselves and their families. We prayed together, and my heart just broke for Jane… and the many women like her.
As we left, I again complimented the garden that Jane obviously loves and cares for so much. As I spoke, she began to beam, and I got a glimpse of the beautiful woman she once was, before life became so hard.
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows is God in His holy dwelling. (Psalm 68:5)
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