The Deenasevanasabha (Servants of the Poor) is a congregation of Sisters founded in 1969 in Pattuvam, Kannur in Kerala by Petra Moanigmann a German national who was studying Medicine in Kerala at that time. Today they are spread across 80 different houses in various locations with a congregation thats over 600 strong. Their Bangalore house is currently guided by "enthusiastic and spirit filled " Franciscan Sister commonly referred to as Mother Willingard.
The sisters run a home called Little Flower Children's Home . Its a home for children who suffer from AIDS. A few close friends and family gathered yesterday at the home to celebrate the day of Christmas (and a couple of birthdays too it seems) with the children, staff and the sisters. After lunch as we were preparing to leave, a sister pointed to a tiny little baby being tended to by one of the staff. The baby was found abandoned in one of Bangalore's hospitals. The hospital knew about this home and asked them for help. They sisters sent their staff and the ambulance to pick it up.
It was Christmas..... The baby was 7 days old and HIV +ve.
There was no room at the inn
The stories of the each of these children are terrible ones, that usually begin with either one of parents being HIV +ve and then transmitting it to the partner. In some cases this is a terrible crime in itself as the men knowingly infect the partners. We met with the children in various stages of the infection. Some gut wrenchingly ...in the final stages . Here they are struggling and dying for no fault of theirs. There is a hopeless feeling that wells inside, that accompanies the anger - that we humans, the species with empathy and intelligence... can actually bring about this fatal disease to our very own.
The first step is always to combat the ignorance. The previous post list links to a few select sites that provide lot of information in this area. It also includes some care and treatment information for HIV infected pregnant women and/or their partners.
But there is light and hope . While all children of infected mothers carry the HIV virus for a while only about 30 % of them are really infected and after about 18 months tests will indicate this. These "HIV -ve children" - the remaining 70%, are then set up in schools around the area and put for adoption through the Ahshraya . A couple of HIV -ve children have already been adopted.
The real miracles are performed by unassuming, un-hero like people who go out of their homes, their villages, their cities, their countries - their comfort zones and build shelters for others in the midst of despair and misery ......and truly bring joy to the world. In this case one, tiny, HIV +ve baby at a time.
There is room at this inn. Merry Christmas.
