Traditional Healer

This may be one of my more aggressive and not so culturally competent blog post so I apologize if it offends anyone but I said I'd write about everything that was going on here in Botswana so here I go: 

Today we went as a group to visit a local traditional healer in Gaborone.  I went into this thinking that is would be the perfect opportunity for me to see and hear what the people who use traditional doctors listen to and experience.  When we first sat down, I looked at all of the jars filled with herbs, tree roots, and other medicines.  I also noticed a certificate on the wall recognizing the fact that the man was a registered traditional healer.  I knew that it would be different than anything I have ever seen before but what I did not realize what I would find out would really disturb me.  Also, just keep in mind this man was snorting straight nicotine about every 15 minutes during our session with him and uses animal bones to tell what maybe be someone’s illness (I don’t sound too skeptical do I?).

Traditional doctors claim to be able to fix and cure almost anything you can think of including marital issues and diseases.  While I don’t personally believe in traditional medicine (maybe that’s just the hard science background I have), I can appreciate people using the herbs for simple, non-life threatening issues.  The problem I had with the whole thing was the topic of curing HIV.  Yes, this man claims he has a cure for HIV that is not the anti-retroviral drugs which are offered in clinics.  What he claims will happen is he gives you an herb and tells you to drink a lot of water.  Basically, it makes you urinate A LOT and is supposed to “cleanse” the body.  That is the cure.  Supposedly you go get tested afterwards and you test negative.  BUT, he can only cure those who are strong.  Those who are weak will not see success with the treatments.

Here is my problem with this:

1.       1. It is no wonder he can only treat those who are strong.  People who have been infected with HIV for a longer period of time have their CD-4 blood counts drop to a point that they become weak and sickly.  A person who has not yet reached that point could easily take some herbs which trick a test into testing negative OR raise their CD-4 count to just high enough to pass as being negative.  In weaker people, he cannot do that.  They have already passed the point of tricking the immune system.

2.       2. It is possible to test negative for HIV after a certain period of time of using ARVs but that does not mean you are negative.  ARVs are used only to boost the immune system and cannot cure HIV.  Once a person has tested negative for HIV after being on ARVs, they are still infected.  They can still spread HIV.  The same goes for traditional remedies.  Once a person is infected, he or she will remain infected for the rest of his or her life. Period

   

      3. This is the same country that has the second highest rate of HIV and AIDS in the world.  I am not surprised.  I’m sure other countries have traditional doctors which do the same things but right now, I’m focused on Botswana.  If you tell a person they will be cured by a herbal remedy and they believe that, they will live their lives as if they are not infected.  This is going to lead to MORE infections and MORE patients.  One of my professors told me that we don’t know all routes of HIV being spread because it continues at a rapid pace despite the ARVs being offered.  I thought she was crazy but I know now that THIS is the route she was looking for.  This is how people are continuing to spread this disease.

4.      4. He charges P750, over $100, for these treatments.   ARVs, a medically proven and tested medicine, are FREE IN ALL CLINICS!  ARVs are used forever once they are started because doctors know HIV does not just go away.  People should be using the treatment which continues to protect their health and should be advised that despite their good CD-4 counts, they are still infected and can still infect others.

The larger issue at hand is that people are going to these doctors in order to find cures.  There is NO CURE for HIV.  ARVs are used to prolong the life of a patient and to increase their immune system.  That does not mean they cannot still spread HIV.  If people want to use traditional healers, that is fine but the government needs to find a way to either regulate or ban the treatment of HIV by traditional healers here.  I know I am being extremely opinionated right now but this is a MAJOR health issue around the world and what I just saw today is doing so much harm to all the progress which has been made by this government.  Providing free ARVs could be the cure to their high rates of HIV and teaching them about prevention but if this crack-pot and others like him are promoting the ideas that HIV is curable, the situation will never change.  The fact that he does not take money until after people are “cured” is supposed to make me believe he is actually helping these people but again, it is possible to get your blood count to a level that you will test negative but that DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE NEGATIVE!  Ugh, I am so frustrated right now but happy beyond belief that I saw this because, while this is not the only reason HIV is a big problem here, I believe it has a serious impact. 

Can there really only be 35 days left?

Long time no post, guys!  Sorry, again, about that but things are starting to get hectic here.  I only have 5 weeks and yes I say ONLY because I’m on that roller coaster again and I am NOT ready to leave!  The past two weeks have been filled with some of the best times I think I have had here so far and the thought of all of this being so close to ending is starting to hit me.

The end of March was Kelly’s birthday so I think the start of this up-swing in feelings towards Gaborone began then.  We just went out to dinner and hung out at UB for her birthday but it was a lot of fun and some good memories came from those two nights.  For one, apparently we impress people from here by the amount of lyrics we know to songs as Ronnie’s host brother who was visiting watched in amazement as we sang a Taylor Swift song word for word.  The morning after had proved to be bit trying as I ended up in a disagreement with one of my flat mates about sanitation issues.  We currently have roach power sprinkled all over our counter tops which I find a bit more serious of an issue than me running water over my toothpaste in the kitchen sink before I brush my teeth.  Anyway, we are all better and things have moved on (with the powder still in place).  

 Just the girls!  Me, Ali, Kelly, Gerrica, and Anna are the 5 girls from CIEE this semester.

Last week was a bit boring as everyone is just bogged down with end of the semester work.  I went to my last field visit on Tuesday which was with a Health Inspector in charge of checking all the pre-schools and day-cares in Gaborone.  I thought she was on top of her game from the way she explained to me what she was looking for but turns out I was wrong.  She would enter the schools glance over everything without checking ANYTHING she had mentioned was required and just leave.  When I asked her if she would report the things we found, she said it’s not use because nothing will get done.  That typifies the attitude here of try once and give up.  It is one of the most frustrating things when I’m dealing with the people here because as soon as an idea is shot down or people don’t listen the first time something is said, that’s the end of the efforts.  Nothing in this world is as easy as saying something once but I guess that’s just how they are raised here.  The other problem I had with the health inspector was that she would find something wrong and make an excuse for why it was not correct.  If this woman is supposed to be looking out for the safety of the children and decides to ignore the fact that a fire extinguisher is locked with no way to get at it in the event of an emergency, who will be there to protect the health of these children.  At one point, she even said “I’m being lazy today.”  I just wanted to ask her, then why are you here?  You are going to check this school off as having been checked when in reality you LOOKED at it without much concern.  In one school, I tried to turn the bathroom water on and nothing came out, meaning kids can’t wash their hands after using the toilet and she looked surprised then just walked away.  It was a bit frightening and again, made me realize that even in this fairly developed country, there is still a LONG way to go.  

This is a bathroom in one of the day-care centers.  Notice there is no privacy or toilet paper to be found.

This is a sink found in the bathroom of the Health Inspectors Office.  Ironically, there isn't any hot water, soap, or paper towels here either.

Continuing on with schooling type issues, we had our one and only assignment which was a term paper in one of my classes due on Friday.  The professor decided not to come to class the week and a half proceeding that date so we ended up asking him yesterday, 3 days AFTER the paper was due, to explain how to write the paper in his style.  We are now required to revise a 10 page term paper worth 40% of our grade in 2 days despite the fact that the professor had been asked for weeks before the due date to go over an outline.  I am currently in the process of fighting to extend the deadline.  I do miss Nova academics.

The truly awesome stuff that is happening here is outside of school though.  I feel like now we are starting to figure out just what we want to do but now it’s almost time to go!  Last weekend in particular made me think I am not ready to get out of here.  I want school to end but as for living and traveling in Africa, I definitely have not had my fill yet.  Saturday we spent the day on Gerrica’s host parents’ farm which was an absolute blast.  We basically just hung out, wandered around in the bush, cooked some meat, the boys killed a chicken which was disturbing, and ended our day with popping a tire on the truck we used to go to the farm!  Yes, all 8 of us rode in one truck which meant I finally got to ride in the back of a pick-up truck!  It was very windy but a lot of fun.  As for the tire, we were half way between the farm and the main road when a rock put a hole in the tire wall big enough to stick a finger in there.  It turned out to be a lot of fun though as we got to chase some donkeys to try and ride them and spend some quality time bonding in the middle of the bush.  Gerrica’s host-brother came to our rescue 2 hours later and brought us a spare tire and we were on our way.  That’s not before myself, along with Kelly and Ali were in the back of the truck not realizing Gerrica’s brother didn’t put the e-brake on and started rolling backwards down the path.  Luckily there’s not much to run into other than bushes so it turned out to be a very funny experience rather than scary.  

 A traditional home and what a typical farm looks like.  Usually one or two guys stay there to tend to animals and  live with no electricity, no plumbing, and no running water.

My new friend Charlie

Our ride home from the farm was the time in the past few weeks that I don’t think I will ever forget, however.  The sky was a gorgeous shade of pink and orange while the hills and mountains were deep blue.  There is no way a picture can even begin to capture the beauty that even this city that offers so many frustrations can show.  I was thinking about what I have done here and the friendships I have made.  It almost made me nervous about going back home and I don’t want to ever forget any of these memories.  This experience has taught me more than I ever thought it could about myself, my strength, my desires, and my endurance.  I consider myself a fairly independent person but there is NO test like living in a completely different place alone for almost 5 months.  I have been contemplating joining the Peace Corps after graduate school and living here has made the decision even harder.  My family means the world to me and being away from them this long has been hard enough but on the other hand, these experiences are unbelievable.  I guess I will have a lot to think about in the next few years!  As for now, I’m going to try and live in the moment and enjoy these last few weeks here even though is it starting to get surprisingly chilly at night here!  

P.S. Some good news, Marc Ketcha (a friend from Villanova)and I will be partnering up next Fall to lead a Fall Break Service Trip!  I am really excited and hoping for some more opportunities to see other parts of the world!!