Walking Side by Side . . .

The team had the opportunity to walk the roads of Finetown today with an amazing group of Home-based Caregivers. These compassionate and enthusiastic women go out into the community of Finetown and visit chronically ill and homebound clients to offer support, simple wound care, medicinal supervision and companionship. The caregivers go out in pairs to visit their patients Monday through Thursday and de-brief as a team on Friday with their concerns and reports for the week. In the area where we were visiting, there are 62 caregivers. Each caregiver receives a stipend from the government of R3500 Rand which is the equivalent of $246.00 per month.

We learned quite a bit from our new friends as we walked along the red dirt roads to the houses of their clients. Some clients lived in simple concrete houses with two to four rooms while other clients lived in one room sheet metal shelters. We watched them compassionately greet their clients with sincere concern and kindness, gently asking if it would be okay if some visitors from the US joined them and we were so honored to always be greeted with smiles.

Here are a few reflections from those visits:

“A woman and her husband had taken in a women from the community who had had a stroke. They were not related to the client, but said, “As a Christian, I can not not take her in”. They had built a room onto their home and were taking care of her needs. The caregiver reported that her health was improving because of the care she was receiving.”

“On our last home visit, we were introduced to Shakira – a bright eyed young girl with the sweetest smile. Shakira is thirteen and is HIV positive. She lives on a pallet on the floor of a sheet metal shelter that she shares with her mother and two siblings. As we visited with the caregiver, we found out that they were from Mozambique, were undocumented, and, therefore, not eligible for government or medical support. Shakira was being cared for by her 11 year old sister and 10 year old brother while the mother worked. She cannot move except for her head and is so small you would almost miss her under her blanket. The caregiver and Pastor Vessie are trying to figure out a plan to help Shakira receive the best help she needs. We prayed over her and took her image with us as we left the simple shelter.”

“We met Queen and Po during one of our home visits. Queen is the mother of Po, a 26 year old woman who suffers from brain damage and seizures. During one of her hospital treatments, the doctors were doing a spinal procedure that went terribly wrong and paralyzed Po from the waist down. The husband had left, their sister and daughter passed away in a car wreck, and they were receiving no help from their extend family. It was just Queen and Po. As the mother recounted their story, she shared about how difficult it was to be the only caregiver for her daughter and how terribly alone she felt. But her absolute faith, strength and love were also present as she shared that her one guiding light was her unfailing love in Jesus. How important it is to this family that they receive daily visits from their caregivers”

The team took time to de-brief over lunch and then off we went to visit Mama Florina.

Mama Florina has been a partner with OC and the Teichert’s for many, many years. When you meet Mama Florina, she is the perfect image of what you would imagine her to be. Full of life and love for children, Mama Florina takes care of the least of these with her whole heart. At her home, tucked away in the streets of Finetown, you will find laughter, singing and hope shining through. We were greeted by a large group of children, singing and dancing as we drove up. We soon joined in and enjoyed the warm welcome by Mama Florina, her caregivers and her children. Mama Florina takes care of 11 orphans in her home – ranging in age, they are happy, healthy and educated. She also over sees 8 home-based caregivers who visit approximately 247 clients that are homebound or chronically ill – usually with TB, HIV or Diabetes. To top that off, Mama Florina also provides a feeding program for 40-70 children from the community each day. Whew. What a remarkable woman. We were able to pass out a few gifts to the caregivers and toothbrushes to the children who were there. It was a wonderful way to top off our last day in Finetown.

Thank you for your comments and prayers. They are such an encouragement to the team. Please continue to pray for the health and stamina of the team as we approach the end of our time in Johannesburg.