Gogo I- in section 19

We went to section 19 to check on the progress of the sewing ladies.  There were about 6 ladies sewing on a concrete porch with singer handcrank Singer sewing machines.  Beautiful East Africa fabrics Dutch waxes and Shway Shway fabrics along with the cheaper Chinese knockoffs are spread out in purples greens blues and browns.  We sat and played with kids and Corine checked on the status of a recent order.

   At the end of the visit, we headed to visit the Gogo (grandma) I, who is in the last stages of a battle with cancer.   Gogo I is not very lucid.  She is talking about going outside so 4 of us lift filthy blankets to position her beside her mudhut.  No one knows the lifestyle this woman lived prior to becoming ill ; however, all her family has refused to care for her or even visit her. This week she looks worse than she ever has.   One neighbor woman is her primary caregiver and checks on her several times per day tries to feed her rice porridge and get her to drink.  We talked with this woman and Nomsile who translates.  Several women in section have been meeting nightly to pray for Gogo I.  Nomsile prayed last night and felt like the Holy Spirit was really speaking through her words of peace to their woman.  Most of these women in this squatters camp are younger than me but have already walked through death and dying with friends and family members many times.  One of the health motivators shared how she had been a caregiver to multiple patients who were dying including her own mother from cancer.  Initially, Corine, Heather and I, wanted to pack up this Gogo in the car, and take her home so that we could care for her.  We did not want her to be alone .   We come with Western concepts of palliative care, and we have specific ideas about what that looks like.  The reality is that many of these women know way more about caring for folks at end of life because they have walked it, and they know how to support people in culturally appropriate ways.  Our challenge is to find the right ways to walk alongside them.

   Still it felt like we were there to bear witness to the challenges faced daily in a continent plagued by HIV.