A community of heroes

Hello Nativity!!

This afternoon we attended a Support Group meeting at Faith Alive Hospital, and this I think has been a serious highlight for our group during our week stay at Faith Alive Hospital. This support group meets weekly on sunday afternoons, and lasts a few hours. When we first arrived, we were amazed to see that the lobby of the Faith Alive Hospital was already packed with singing and dancing people. It was unlike any "life support" meeting I've ever heard of. Instead of people sitting in a circle talking about their issues and challenges. Instead, at Faith Alive, their idea of Life Support was to pray, listen to motivational speakers, and dance and sing. We, the guests, were asked to sit up front of the gathering facing the audience. During the meeting, members of the audience came to the front of the room to iterate their personal stories of living with HIV. The stories were all immensely tragic, and depressing to hear. The first and perhaps most powerful speaker, was Helen Davou who discussed the difficulties of raising her two children single handed while living with the disease.

After the audience spoke, the visitors were asked to speak about our opinion on the experiences this past week. Each member of our group walked up to mic and described how we were all touched. I can't describe the feeling that hung in the hospital during this meeting. Each of the people in that room, have such an unbelieveable amount of courage and strength. To be HIV positive in Nigeria is to open yourself to a harsh world of discrimination. However, these people come weekly to openly affirm their disease and in the process have created a community.

In the past week, we have heard many people discuss the concept of unity in Nigeria. This is the new affirmed goal of the Nigerian Government, as you can even read on car license plates here, "Nigeria: Land of Unity." Through their acceptance and courage, these patients at Faith Alive have created real unity for a population in their country that has in almost all cases been pushed aside and treated as outcasts. With this example, Faith Alive has not only created a foundation for a unified country, but has also created a community of heroes.

-Jason

P.S. This is our last night in Jos, so we aren't quite sure about our internet capabilities for the rest of the trip. Please check back soon, and we will post the second we are able. Thank you!