Sarsih in South Africa

I am an American living in South Africa where I volunteer at a rural hospice in a poverty stricken community.

The hospice itself is able to give 24 hour care for up to 20 individuals with its main focus on HIV+ patients.

My roles at this clinic are as follows:

1) Art program coordinator where I use art as a healing and coping mechanism for both mental and emotional wellness, as well as focusing on regaining fine motor strength and flexibility in the hands and wrists of our patients.

2) Exercise program coordinator which again is helpful towards the mental and emotional states of our patients and includes both group and individual sessions to rebuild muscular strength for patients that are both capable and those who are struggling to regain mobility.

3) Counselor for both our care workers and for individuals of the community. Many of our care workers are qualified to conduct in home HIV testing and it is an emotionally draining task, particularly if they are confronted with a newly diagnosed patient where it is their job to give them this news face to face. It is my job to check in on them as regularly as possible to see how they are coping with this task so that the emotional build up does not lead to a mental break or begins to affect other parts of their lives outside of work. I am also seeing a handful of young adults from the community in counselling sessions to help them cope with and overcome emotional issues that are affecting their daily lives, often due to a traumatic event (e.g. rape) that has happened in their lives.

4) Teen Team Co-Leader: My co-worker, Thandi, and myself noticed a growing need for HIV+ teenagers to have accountability for not only taking their medication but for mental and emotional stability. As a team we go out to the homes and schools of teenagers we know that are HIV+ and make connections with their families and their teachers to create a safe space for them to be open with their emotional and mental struggles in order to prevent them from falling into depression or anger due to their health status which can cause them to default on their medication.

5) Homeschooling: As a qualified teacher I have completed a homeschooling program with two brothers (Fanuel and Abraham) who were abandoned by their mother several years ago. Due to the fact that they were not left with any documentation (birth certificates, etc.) their education was put on hold as they could not attend high school without this documentation. Together we completed a homeschooling curriculum and are now working with a pro bono lawyer to ensure they can complete their high school exams and receive their certification officially.

I am currently working with another 19 year old who was in our care at the hospice as he was not only sick for a very long time, but also contracted meningitis and needed a brain operation which wiped out his memory to read and write along with many other things he learned through school. We are now working slowly together to help him regain his memory of these things and carry on his education.