Waiting for death to come

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, DEC. 24. In a world where happy images of children are so effective that they are used in advertisements of multinational insurance companies, the idea of a child suffering from AIDS and finally dying has not even impressed on society's collective awareness, according to an executive trustee of a well-known non-government organisation here.

On Sunday, when The Hindu visited the care centre run by the non- government organisation preparations (college students, volunteers and staff are involved) were on for a Christmas party for 16 children, all carrying HIV positive.

Cakes, sweets, potato chips and other snacks had been stacked on one table in the small office. A Child Counsellor was continuously being sought out by the busy looking undergraduate student volunteers for instructions on mundane problems.

One of the staff served tea for the volunteers and other staff who had put their hearts into making the party a success.

In the morning there had been a Santa Claus distributing sweets to the children. Two college students said that they came to the centre every Sunday, to give the children a "hygiene check". Their job was to check if the children had had their nails cut and so on. By afternoon, there were signs that it would indeed be a good party.

Several activities had been planned. There was going to be a skit on the birth of Christ; children were being dressed up to act out different characters -- from the wicked king to the angels. They were using a doll for a newborn Christ. Then there would be games and a chance to make friends with the children from a neighboring orphanage. The orphanage sheltered children whose parents had been infected and admitted at this care centre.

A new small but cheerful dormitory for children recently completed, has cots painted in happy colours. Just before the party was to begin the dorm was filled with shepherds, angels, the wicked king, Mary and Joseph, all having rollicking fun keeping the staff and the volunteer students occupied. They seemed to sense the headiness of the approaching evening and they were raring to go like there was no tomorrow.

That in the case of many of these children was literally true. They had almost no contact with the outside world, though some were sent to an undisclosed English medium school, where they were doing very well. Some would eventually die, a fate different from some of their brothers and sisters in the orphanage.

One thing permeated all the gaiety at the centre. The pungent smell of disinfectant, mixed with the smell of hopelessness of people who knew they were dying. The adults who were dying had no hope in their eyes; just waiting. Of the children, some knew that they had AIDS. But most were too young to understand what hope was.

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Section  : Southern States
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