Orphans optimistic against all odds

December 9, 2011 | Filed underPopular News | Posted by editor
Orphaned by Aids … Zamile Gwala lost her mother to Aids when she
was a teenager
The Free State province has 48 000 orphans and the majority of them have been orphaned by HIV/Aids.
One of them is Zamile Gwala who lost her mother to Aids when she was 16 years old. Her mother died in 2005 after being sick for a long time. She did not know that she was HIV-positive until it was too late for her to receive treatment.
Gwala’s mother discovered that she was positive after her younger daughter became very ill. The doctor told her that the child was born with HIV and that meant she also had the virus.  The Weekly spoke to Gwala at a park in Bloemfontein after a small picnic was held for her and other children affected and infected
with HIV.
Wearing a long black weave, an orange T-shirt and blue jeans, Gwala seemed relaxed and smiling during the interview. She is optimistic about the future despite the adversities she had to overcome during the past few years.
“This place is nice and I can relax and forget about my situation for a moment. Although I have an older brother, he is unemployed so he cannot provide all my needs. However, I worked so hard in school and managed to go to a tertiary institution. But things are much better now.
“I use to wonder where my next meal will be coming from. I would go hungry for days but God has always been good to us because people would come and bring us something to eat eventually. I cared for my mother and my younger sister while they were both sick. That was hard and traumatising but I fought with all I had in me to stay strong for them.”
Gwala took care of her mom for two years before she passed away. Taking her to the clinic was a journey that
required patience.
“No one was willing to sacrifice their money for me to take a taxi. I had to slowly walk with my mom to the local clinic. That was a difficult journey I was willing to bear.”
She worked hard at school and although she could not get a bursary she was able to go to the Central University of Technology where she is studying teaching. She wants to be a teacher because she loves children and wants them to succeed despite their personal circumstances.
The Weekly drove out to Freedom Square in Mangaung to meet the Motsamai family of four. They are orphaned children, trying their best to survive in spite of the odds stacked against them. Lerato is 22 years old, Andries 20, Likgang 16, and Panki 13. They can vaguely recall the year their mother died.
Trying to cope … Andries Motsamai’s life has become an uphill battle after
he became an Aids orphan
Their father passed away many years before their mother. They live in a dilapidated house where they face a daily struggle to make ends meet. Andries said her sister lives with her boyfriend and she took her younger brother with her. But he does not know where his sister stays. Likgang lives with a family who volunteered to take care of him.
Because of the hardships he experienced, Andries got involved with youth gangs and he now fears for his life. He attended school up to Grade 4 but has no intention of going back. He said he can only attend Adult Basic Education and Training, but only if he first gets a job.
The Orphan and Vulnerable Children Manager at Mosamaria Centre in Mangaung, Kelebogile Ditema, says it is a challenge to assist orphans.
“We have a challenge of identifying orphans within the communities. People are not open about this problem and this makes it hard for us to offer help where is needed. If we find an orphan in a community, usually they do not have documents needed to access social grants we help them to apply for.”
Mosamaria is a centre that helps in fighting HIV/Aids and poverty. It houses various projects such as New Start that deals with testing and counselling. There is also a treatment literacy program where patients are taught about their treatment.
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