What would you do if you received news that radically
changed your life for the worst? How
would you respond if you were teetering on the edge of despair, when any hope
for the future was reduced to the tiniest flickering flame, ready to go out at
any moment? That was precisely the
situation that a woman named Donata found herself in, back in 2005.
Living in the little Rwandan village of Kigusa, when her
husband died she discovered that it was due to AIDS. He had contracted the deadly disease through
an amateur dentist, and then had unknowingly passed it on to her. At that time, HIV/AIDS was not only a death
sentence which would slowly destroy a person physically. It was also a disease which carried with it a
terrible stigma, isolating a person from all friendships and
relationships. Even Donata’s doctor at
the time advised her against telling anyone!
She felt like her life was over. And what about her children? She was terribly fearful that the deadly virus
had also been given to her youngest, who was breastfeeding at the time. What was she to do? Despite being encouraged to stay silent, she
made the decision to talk about it. She
joined a small group being organized by the local Baptist church, fittingly called
Guardians of Hope (GOH). The members
were all people who were battling HIV/AIDS.
Donata admits, “It took a lot of
courage to join the group and be open.”
But it was the best decision she could have made. That tiny bit of hope she had been clinging
to was safely protected. She truly
experienced the Guardians of Hope.
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| Visiting Donata and two of her children (R) in their home with some members of a team from Westview Baptist Church, Calgary. |
Before the GOH groups were formed, AEBR (CBM’s Baptist
partner in Rwanda) gave training to their pastors about how AIDS works and how
to address the needs of those who have been infected, which included treating
them as people who are loved and valued by God.
According to Jean Marie, the pastor in Kigusa, when their GOH group
started, people in that village with HIV/AIDS were extremely isolated and
lonely, suffering both physically and emotionally. They reached out to those throughout the
community who were infected and began bringing them together. They were provided with health kits and
taught how to care for themselves. They
were encouraged not to be ashamed of making use of the medication being
provided by the local health clinics.
Training was provided to help them learn skills for generating income.
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| The GOH group members in a meeting under the trees - a traditional sight in Rwanda |
Today, life is very different in Kigusa for the members of the GOH group. Their health has improved so much that they have only had two of their 32 members die, and those deaths were not due to AIDS. What a contrast to the way it had been. Pastor Jean Marie says, “Without GOH’s help, they would all have been dead by now!” There has also been a radical change in the way others view them. For most people, there is now no longer any stigma with the disease. In fact, there are now people wanting to join their group who don’t even have HIV/AIDS!
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| Ildephonse (L), GOH Project Manager for AEBR, speaking to the group members in their pineapple field |
As a group, they currently own about 30 goats. From that flock, each member has been provided with a goat. And whenever new people have joined, they also receive a goat. Their dream is that eventually they can build up to the point where each member will have their own cow! They have also worked together to buy two pieces of land. One of the plots is used for growing pineapples. The money from the crop goes toward helping the members. On the other piece of land they are building a house. Once it is finished, they will either sell it for a profit, or they will use it as a location from which to start a business.
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| The house being built by the GOH group - and their cassava planted next to it. |
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| Group member Concilia: At first she thought her life was ending and was so scared of others finding out about her AIDS that she would skip her meds. But today she is confident and strong, raising animals and pineapples, helping her children go to school and even vocational school. |
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| Group member Xavier: Because of the disease and its stigma he despaired that he would be able to send his children to school. But the group supported and challenged him. They ended up paying for half the school fees and Xavier, through skills learned as part of the GOH group, was able to pay the other half. He is grateful to the GOH group as well as CBM which made it possible. |
For this group of people, there once was a time when the
future looked dark and despairing. But
God’s people chose to extend love to the vulnerable and suffering by starting a
Guardians of Hope ministry with the help of CBM. And today hope is burning brightly in the
village of Kigusa!
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| In front of the Baptist church in Kigusa (L to R): Pastor Japhet, head of AEBR's Dept. of Evangelism & Church Life; Pastor Dayle & Dawn Medgett from Westview Baptist Church; Pastor Jean Marie from Kigusa |