HIV positive teen Sara could have done the hip thing and
gone backpacking. Instead she opted to spend summer working with children
affected by Aids in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil
After leaving care and school last year I went to Brazil to volunteer. I have
no real contact with my parents and had to raise the money myself. Friends
helped and I wrote to various organisations. A few replied but most didn’t.
I went with a vision of Brazil being this glamorous country. Once there, the
vision held true but I soon realised the margin between rich and poor was
huge. But the poor people were always smiling and friendly, never complained
and loved the fact we had come miles away from home just to volunteer.
At the orphanage, the children had a safe place to play and still managed
to be children, while the older ones could go to school to get their education.
The facilities were a little basic, but you can’t compare healthcare
in a developing country to this country. Their HIV treatment is government
funded.
The children gave me a huge opportunity to learn from them. Whoever thought
being HIV positive was a negative thing? It presents you with all these challenges
to overcome. The children helped me not to feel sorry for myself and realise
that while I can’t doing anything about the HIV, I can certainly control
my destiny and fulfil my dreams.
This trip made me think about the important things in life and not the latest
trainers or mobile phone. I kept a diary and here are some of my impressions.
Saturday, 19 June 2004
When the plane landed I could tell straight away I was in Brazil. It’s
true what people say: Brazilians are always smiling. I met the placement staff
and the other volunteers who are mainly American. My Portuguese is not the
best but I will learn more each day. It feels really strange sleeping in a
bed that is not mine; but it’s mine for the next five weeks.
Thursday 1 July 2004
Today I started teaching English in one of the shantytowns, in a community
called Baixa de Alegria (Area of Happiness). Everyone knows each other, especially
the children. They have so little but are always smiling and want to know
why we had travelled across the world to teach them English and play with
them. I wanted to enrich their lives in any way I could. They were really
surprised I was only 18.
My first observation is that the education system in Brazil needs a serious
looking at. Often school doesn’t start until 12.30 in the afternoon.
But there were so many activities for the kids: football, volleyball and the
ocean is not far away. There are two classes, but if it rains no one turns
up.
Friday, 2 July 2004
The children I teach have put me to shame. Their eager attendance and enthusiasm
makes me regret throwing away the chance I had to learn a second language;
a chance given to me free by the UK government. Over here, the children depend
on volunteers like me coming to their community each year. Everyone pays for
education until the age of 18, after which it becomes free. So youngsters
from poorer families here will never be able to access the education system
and won’t be able to go on to university to further their abilities,
even though it would be free by then. The community I am working in is badly
in need of basics like education and healthcare and the volunteering scheme
in Salvador is so popular that children from other towns sometimes make a
trip just to visit.
Monday, 5 July 2004
It rained so much this morning that Grace arranged a lift to our placements
today with a driver called Adriano. Teaching was great but one child really
drove me crazy with frustration. I think they are getting used to us now.
But even if they don’t behave, at least they take the time to come and
learn a new language. I love the children; okay they can be a pain but can’t
everyone? I really admire them because they don’t have a lot but they
are always smiling and happy. I love that there is such a community spirit
too and all the children seem to look after each other. Today I was teaching
the children about family and dialogue. A boy called Fillip said that he had
six brothers and no sisters and everyone in the class said that he was lying.
Where I come from no one knows about you and sometimes you don’t even
know your next door neighbour.
Another thing I love about Salvador is that African heritage has been kept
alive and is thriving despite the days of slavery and colonialism. An estimated
1.3 million slaves were imported into the Bahia region before slavery was
abolished in 1888. That’s double the number imported into the entire
US. I can feel African soul in the food we eat like rice and beans.
Wednesday, 7 July 2004
Adriano said I am always causing trouble with Brazilian men/boys! I tell them
I’m a lesbian (the Portuguese word is fresco). This is one of the first
words I ever learnt in Brazil. They know that I am lying but it’s always
funny when I say it. Tonight, Khalia, another volunteer and I are going to
watch football as it’s the ‘copa America’. We asked for
directions and got a lift from these guys who spoke English. Every time Khalia
and I go out we always end up making new friends. I can’t believe the
sense of freedom being here has given me. They dropped us off and we sat down
to watch Brazil playing against Chile. Brazil won.
Saturday, 10 July 2004
I was very much on a downer today, feeling isolated and alone somehow. The
longer I stay here the more I see how vast and extreme the poverty is in Brazil.
It is worse than I ever expected or imagined, with children begging on the
streets and most people just ignoring them. As an 18-year-old it has broken
my heart; I’ve never seen this kind of poverty in my life. Social issues
like poverty, unemployment, housing shortages (many children live their lives
on the streets), and a decaying educational system make life so hard. I visited
two men in the advanced stages of Aids and it broke my heart again. In Bahia
state many villages don’t have basic sanitation, infant mortality rates
are high and half the population is illiterate. Around 30 per cent of the
adult population is unemployed while those who are paid earn less than £45
a month. Because of all this, most girls end up quitting their education to
become housekeepers at a young age.
Monday, 12 July 2004
Working in the school is making me think in all kinds of different ways. I
mean, just a few weeks ago I felt so much stress that seemed just an ongoing
part of my everyday life in London. Here I am now, sitting with these children
who have nothing compared to me. Why and how did I let life in London get
me down so much? I have family, books, a roof over my head, excellent healthcare,
and a lifetime of opportunities. Some of the children here have no family,
no toys, no clothes or shoes.
Monday, 19 July 2004 - Friday 23 July 2004
We had fun during our last week; we went out at night to this nice restaurant
and a cool bar. I will certainly miss everyone. I have met such amazing people,
learnt so much (about myself too) and made friends for a lifetime. I will
never forget the warmth of the staff, and the children were just so loveable
and inspiring. I will miss them so much that I don’t want to go back
to England. If I end up doing the same things as I did before I came to Brazil
it would be foolish because what would be the point of this entire experience?
I’ve learnt that volunteers of all ages can inspire and encourage children
to discover their own self-value and confidence. Teaching the alphabet, writing,
participating in arts and crafts, playing sports, learning how to use a computer
are just some of the ways that children can be supported. Simply talking about
different ways of life and forming friendships also helps. In some of the
organizations, the staff didn’t have the time to build relationships
with individual at-risk children. Knowing that people care about them, even
if it’s just in a smile or a hug, gives them something lasting that
I know for a fact goes a long way. All you need is an open heart.
In fact I’ve decided I will come back to Brazil next year to do the
same thing if I can, because I believe that my work is not finished with the
children. I’d like to thank everybody who sponsored me to go; it meant
the world to me.
