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Ithemba support group goes to candlelight memorial service.
We were invited by Fikelela to attend the candlelight memorial service at Zonnebloem chapel on Thursday 15 May 2008. The guest speaker was the new Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba. 18 of us from the Ithemba support group went and we were privileged to meet the Archbishop afterwards. The service was to remember those who have died as a result of the HIV/Aids pandemic, as well as to celebrate life and to thank God for His wonderful love for us all, whether we are HIV positive or not. 2 of the members of Ithemba were asked to open the service with prayers, and they did this despite being very nervous with such a large crowd there! There were other support groups there from all over the Cape Town Anglican Diocese, and we enjoyed meeting them over lunch after the service. Children from the Fikelela Children’s Home sang some songs, which brought tears to everyone’s eyes. We would like to thank Fikelela for inviting us to this special service – we felt honoured to take part in it. We would also like to congratulate Rev Rachel Mash for winning a prestigious Impumelelo Trust Award for the wonderful work she has done in the field of HIV/Aids, on behalf of Fikelela.
Nozipho’s Story
My name is Nozipho and I am HIV positive. I have 2 children who are 15 years and 13 years old. The eldest is a girl called Yamkela and the youngest is a boy called Kamva. They are in the Eastern Cape and my mother looks after them. I have been HIV positive since 2002. At that time I was in Stage 4 (Aids stage) and I was very sick. I also had TB and double pneumonia. I was in hospital in the Eastern Cape. Then I came to Cape Town to stay with my youngest sister. At that time I did not have hope. I thought I was going to die. I was very thin. Everyone in the village called me Mrs Aids. Then I met a lady in Westlake who introduced me to Di from St Martin’s church. She prayed with me and she looked after me and gave me some food and clothes for me and my children. This gave me hope and we started a support group called Ithemba. Since then I have got better, and I went on a sewing course and I have got a certificate. I make traditional skirts, ties, hats, cushions, etc in the community centre. The Westlake United Church Trust has made me a supervisor of the sewing and I am everyday at the centre. I am now on anti-retrovirals and I am healthy and my CD4 count is up. I want to thank God and the people who supported me when I was sick. I now have hope in Jesus.