Getting Started with Power of Love in Lusaka
Day 1: After a wonderful introduction and brief pow wow with the Power of Love staff here in Lusaka, I set out into the field for the daily home visits with the Community Care Assistants (CCAs). Today I accompanied Nelly to George Compound, a smaller neighborhood within the greater Matero area. Most of the families in George compound are living in just one, perhaps two room homes, very close to one another.
The BEST part of today was of course, meeting the children enrolled in the Arms Reach Care (ARC) program. Having seen tens of dozens of these children in photos back in San Diego, I was delighted to finally meet the faces I’ve seen for so long. In fact, I recall a month or so back helping Alka (the Executive Director) to update a report and choosing a picture of a child named Ephram to attach with the report. I selected his picture because of his adorable and glowing smile. Even in a picture, his joyful personality stood out.
(Photo: "Ephram patiently waits as his temperature and weight are taken by Lina...but then the dancing begins!")
Ephram turned out to be stop number 3 on our home visit route today. After a warm welcome from Ephram’s grandparents (who kindly and without judgment encouraged my attempt to greet them in chi Nyanja) a tiny ball of energy, popped into the room. At 6 years old and just 15 kilos, Ephram is tiny, but his energy and bright spirit highjack the room.
What’s more, Ephram is also a dancer.
His grandfather played music from his cell phone and Ephram put on one of the most entertaining and lively dance number I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, I wasn’t prepared and didn’t catch anything of his stellar moves on film, but hopefully next home visit we’ll get a repeat performance.
According to Lina, Ephram was put on ART’s before his first birthday. The staff of POL pleaded with the doctors to place him on the medication since the general practice at the time was to wait until a child reached two years of age. Ephram would not have made it long and fortunately the clinic doctors eventually changed their minds. After 5 years on ART’s Ephram is a stable, healthy, dancing machine!
In fact, Ephram’s positive response to the medication convinced the clinic doctors to change their policy and provide medicine to other children under two if necessary, rather than waiting for a child to hit a specific age mark and risking any further decline in their health.
-Shannon