Three Hours from Sundown

I'm sitting by the window and looking over the green hills of Northeastern India. The town is layered on thin terraces on the steep mountain sides. It's cool to see. There are hundreds of churches here - I'm not exaggerating. They are everywhere, like mosques in Dhaka. However, this quiet hillside community is harboring a thriving drug trade, and one of the highest HIV prevalences in India.

Yesterday we visited some families affected by HIV and AIDS. The first family had migrated from Burma and, being outsiders, were unable to get decent jobs. They made use of their connection to Burma and began selling drugs. They were destitute, living on the edges of town on the road to the prison, in a dirty little house. The father was infected by injecting drugs; his wife, probably through sex with her husband. Of the children the 4 year old is infected and the 3 month old was uncertain. The father has quit his drug habit and is valiantly trying to live a decent life in society. He has gotten a job building roads, which pays OK, when he is able to work. But to stay healthy they all need good nutrition and medicine for the every day sickness to which they are vulnerable. Today the whole family is in the clinic to get treatment for diarrhea. Another day in which the father can not work and yesterdays nutrition is flushed down the toilet.

Both of the parents of the other family I visited used to sell drugs, and the father injected them. They have since stopped, and the man has gotten a job as a day laborer. This is a difficult environment for an ex-addict. He is encouraged by his workmates to go drinking after work, a waste of precious money, and a temptation to return to drugs. So far he has remained clean.
His wife, unfortunately is desperately ill very often. The oldest son (14) missed crucial school exams to take care of his mom, when she was sick with pneumonia. Now he has dropped out. The five year old had been sent to live with her grandparents in another state, as the parents could not support another mouth. The 2 year old was in the hospital for respiratory problems with the dad. The dad, the day laborer, and could not work for the days he is in the hospital with the baby. What will happen to this fragile existence when the mother dies? when a few years later the father dies? Who will provide nutritious food for these parents to live a few years longer? Who will provide emotional support to people who are dying?

The families are destitute, no money for rent or even food sometimes. The neighbors know that they are poor (obviously) and often sick, but don't know the respective families are HIV+. The families are terrified of their neighbors discovering their status. If the landlord knew he would invariably kick them out.

These HIV affected families are "Christian" (here, EVERYONE is christian). In an attempt to integrate in their community, the Burmese family joined the local church - tithing and paying cemetery fees, though for a variety of reasons they don't get to church very often. In return they get nothing from the church. No visits, no meals when they are sick, nothing. They are terrified of disclosing their HIV infected status for fear of the discrimination that will bring, even (or especially) within the church. These people are trying so hard to turn their life around, but the barriers seem to rise ever higher. I am frustrated and mad at the churches for not doing anything to help the poor and sick in their community.

There are good churches though. The organization we are visiting here got kicked out of their office three times because of the people they associate with - injecting drug users. They have now found a sympathetic neighborhood/church area where the pastor and elders support their work and the recovering drug addicts. The Positive Network has done various seminars on HIV and AIDS which seem to make some inroads against discrimination in a congregation that is open minded.

It is urgent that the community, ideally the churches, recognise and accept the people living with HIV and AIDS. The church is called to compassion, and around the world where the church has accepted the challenge it has made a wonderful difference in many lives. But overcoming the silence and judgment cast by the moral majority is a daunting task.