Operativo - an event when our HIV team leaves the clinic to give a couple hours of free HIV-testing and counseling in poor and/or rural communities. Interested individuals go through a small-group charla (chat/discussion) about the test and HIV/AIDS before having their blood drawn. People under 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. We give test-takers cookies and pop as an incentive to take the test and as a way to feed hungry people. We take the blood samples back for analysis at our lab, and then return the following week to deliver results.
Batey - a (usually rural) community associated with farming sugarcane. Most residents are Haitian or of Haitian descent, though most speak an accented Spanish. Some speak Creole, which I can't understand, despite years of French class. Bateys are usually very poor communities.
Esperanza - Spanish for 'hope'
Last Thursday, I went with our HIV team to do my first operativo in Batey Esperanza. We set up in the batey's clinic, using their waiting room as our charla space, and the vaccination room as the testing room. I was put in charge of dispensing cookies and pop, which turned out to be trickier than I thought, given the large amount of persuasive kids eying the cookies.
Greysi and I waited for the first few people to show up. We got there at about 3:30 and were expecting 10-20 people before we closed at 5, but had come prepared with a few extra syringes. At first, it was slow-going, but as people left the clinic with cookies in hand, word spread and more and more people came for a charla and a test.
A charla - not all of the people who heard the talks chose to get tested
As time wore on and the news spread, more and more people showed up. We ran out of syringes twice and had to borrow from the clinic! We finally closed up shop around 6:45, after testing 49 people! As dusk fell on the batey, I was happy to finally be able to hand out the few left-over cookies we had.
We loaded up the car and headed home, all talking excitedly about the afternoon. The feeling on the ride home - five of us crammed in the Jeep, bachata music turned up loud, excited conversation in Spanish, night falling over San Pedro - was wonderful. We are all still excited about the number of people we reached through charlas and the number of tests we did.
Delivering results on Thursday will be harder. This diagnosis is life-changing. I am a little comforted to know that we can at least provide free treatment, free transportation, and some food to any people with positive results. And I'm hoping for many negative results. Please keep this vibrant community in your thoughts and prayers.
*all photos taken by our wonderful driver for use by our funding charity organization.
1 comment:
Kate, I typed a response, but it wouldn't take my password---I hope this works!
Although I've been terrible about wrting, you have been in my prayers. Jarabacoa looks beautiful and your adventures awesome! It was weird, but today I was researching for my sermon and came across an old article in Weavings Magazine about hope. It was a story of a woman who had gone to Haiti several years ago by way of the DR. She talked about Bateys, about life and hope among the poor in the Bateys. Then I read your update!
Hope all is well. It looks like you are still living with Padre Gelmy's family...It was fun to see Elena's wedding pictures.
Peace, Faith Perrizo
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