Elderly engage with AIDS

Transcript

Duration: 5min 12sec

THANDEKA: Kuthiwa inyathi ibuzwa kwabaphambili kodwa ke kumba kagawulayo oku kuyatshintsha kuba abantu abadala baba ngabokugqibela ukucingwa, nangona ingabona bantu bathi bachatshazeleke kuba ingabongi nabondli babo baphila nalentsholongwane yaye bekwakhathalela nabo bathi bachatshazelwe yiyo.

Translation: There’€™s a saying that you seek knowledge from old people, but this is not the case when it comes to HIV/AIDS expertise. Old citizens are often left out and forgotten, even though they provide care for sick and dying AIDS patients and support for affected families.

GRANDMOTHER 1: Le nto iyafuneka nyhani yaziwe ngoomama, uqhakamishelwano lwe communication nabantwana. Ukuhlangana kwe family kokona kanye, kanye kuzakwenza kakuhle kuba sihlale phantsi thina bantu bakhulu nabantwana, umlobe umntana uyalotywa ngoba uyambona xa enteno uthanda ukundweba, uthanda ukubhekela kufuneka ke ngoku mna njengomakhulu ndizame ukumsondeza. Umsondeza njani? Ngobubele bam, ndithande ukuncokola naye. Njengabahlali kuba xa ndenza umqombothi andizokuwusela ndodwa la mqombothi kufuneka ndiyokuzithoba   kubahlali bazokukwazi ukuza emzini wam. Injalo ke nendibano yale ngulo, lengulo iyamfuna nyhani umntu ongu,makhulu ndandizoyikisela maani ndathi iigogo ezinjengathi kanye mna bendingeneayo nala communication yokusondela emntaneni kuba kaloku bendisithi xa esiza nento engathi i-wrong(o) ndithi hayi phuma endlini yam kodwa sithe sakufakwa emgibeni samane sikhokelwa sifundiswa ngale HIV sabona ukuba tyhini iyabafuna nyhani oomakhulu lento, ngoba kaloku umntwana umama wakhe omncinci, uthi unina hayi suka andinaxesha lalonto nawe ubuzihambela. Kanti ke ububa ubuze kum ndingumakhulu ndizakuba nalo uncedo kuba kaloku ndizakuhlala naye phantsi.

Translation: Mothers need to know more about HIV/AIDS to strengthen communication with their children. We need to bring families together to talk about the pandemic. Our children and grandchildren are so scared to open up to their young mothers. Previously I didn’€™t have any communication with my children, I used to chase them away when they started talking nasty but now I can talk to them openly about HIV/AIDS and I give them love and support.

GRANDMOTHER 2: Umntana ubusithi wakuhlala naye phantsi umbone ukuba unetshiki kodwa uthe umphathi wethu wobe ehleli phantsi nathi thina bantu badala wasixelela ngale HIV ukuba masibaphathe njani abantwana bethu siyakwazi ngoku ukuhlala phantsi nabo sithethe nabo nabazukulwana nabantwana bethu sibaxelele ngale nto kuba into ilele kuthi thina bazali aba bantwana kaloku nanjengabatwana abazifundelayo nasezikolweni beyixelelwa lento bathi bokufika kuthi thina bantu badala and nakoomama babo baboyike ukuthetha ngalento. Thina ke bantu badala simele zesithethe ukubangaba ke uthe wathatha abantwana bakho wahlala phantsi nabo bayakwazi ngoku ukuba akwazi ukufikelela kuwe bangakoyiki bona yinto abayifihlayo kuthi thina lento ngoku ke xa uhleli naye phantsi umntana wakho waze wamxelela, wamxelela uyakwazi ngoku ukuxela apha kuwe ukuba into ethile ithe yathi akazokoyika uzakuza kuwe ngoku azokuxelela.

Translation: We were taught to be patient with our children. Before [this training] we didn’€™t understand why they were cheeky when we spoke to them. Because children are scared to talk to adults about HIV, our grandchildren would rather not tell us as mothers and grandmothers. But now we were told to sit down with them and talk sense to them, now they become our friends and they start talking about their experiences.

GRANDMOTHER 3: Bethuna, zinkosi bendimoyika umntu onogawulayo ndicinga fanukuba angandisulela kodwa ndithe ngokuhamba kwam kwisi sikolo ndayazi ukuba nokuba angafika umntana ndifumanise ukuba unayo i-HIV andinawuze ndoyike ndingalala naye nasezingubeni akukho nto azokundosulela ngayo ngoba isesulelo ndisivile ukuba sisekulalaneni qha kuphela asosuleli ngokoyama emzimbeni, negazi xa ethe wopha ungalibambi igazi lakhe ngesandla, uthathe iplastiki ubhijele esandleni xa uzakubamba igazi nawophina umntu nongamaziyo ukuba unayo.

Translation: People, I used to be so scared of an HIV positive person thinking that he or she might infect me. Today, I know I can sleep in her bed and it won’€™t infect me, you only contract HIV when you have sexual intercourse. You can hold someone [who has HIV], you won’€™t contract it but if she’€™s bleeding you need to wrap a plastic bag around your hands if you’€™re going to touch her blood. You need to do the same for anyone else who is bleeding.

THANDEKA: Ezi zezinye zeengwevukazi zaseKhayelitsha nezithi ugawulayo akanandawo kuba bazakuncedisana noluntu nabantwana, nabazukulwana babo ukulwa lobhubhane. Yena uNontlupheko Georgina Ben nongumququzeleli ekwangumqeqeshi kwa NOAH kwingwevukazi ngogawulayo uthi esona sizathu sibenze ukuba baqale lomsebenzi kukubona ukuba abantu abadala baphoswa kwelokulibala.

Translation: These are some of the senior citizens from Khayelitsha who are helping their communities and children to understand HIV better. The co-ordinator for AIDS programmes at NOAH, Nontlupheko Georgina Ben says they started the project because senior citizens were being forgotten with regard to HIV.

NONTLUPHEKO: Siye saqonda into yokuba masithathe abantu abanokukwazi ukuqeqesheka kweli cala labantu abadala siqala ukutrain(a) kubantu abakwiminyaka engamashumi amahlanu nangaphezulu.

Translation: We give training to those adults of 50 years and above who can understand the issues.

THANDEKA: Banithabathe njani abantu abadala xa nizakuthetha ngogawulayo kubo?

Translation: How did senior citizens perceive you when you started talking about HIV/AIDS?

NONTLUPHEKO: Kwakunzima ukuqala kwam. Nam ndisoyika because uyayazi ngokwesiXhosa ukuthetha nge sex ayonto ilisiko lesiXhosa nomntu omdala kodwa ke kuba intsholongwane kagawulayo mna xa ndiqeqesha ndiqala ukuba ndifune ukuba umntu azi kakhulu ngomzimba wakhe. Ndaqala apho kwicala le human sexuality apho kwakunzima kakhulu kusuku lokuqala kodwa ke sithe nje ukuba singene phakathi siyingenelele ndafumanisa ukuba bayayi understand(a) and then bayayamnkela and then kwakulula nasekuphenduleni imibuzo malunga nesex.

Translation: At first it was difficult, I was so scared to engage them in sexual conversation, as it is not in our culture to talk about sexuality, especially to old people. I started telling them about human sexuality and they learnt from there – that was the beginning of my talk and they asked questions about sex.

THANDEKA: Omnye umntu angathi oomakhulu nootamkhulu bazakwazi ntoni ngogawulayo. Ingaba uyayibona imfuneko yokua kuqeqeshwe abantu abadala?

Translation: One can question what would old people understand about HIV? Do you see a need for training senior citizens?

NONTLUPHEKO: Ewe, ndiyibona kakhulu kuba ugawulayo ngulo uchaphazela wonke umntu loonto leyo ingathi kum sesi late nokuba involve(a) kweziprogramme ze HIV kuba ikakhulu siye sawanika wonke amandla ethu ekuqeqesheni ulutsha kuba ilelona   lichaphazelekayo kulentsholongwane kagawulayo salisala intoyoukuba abantu abadala bayi part   yokuba bechaphazeleka kwaye bosuleleka yintsholongwane kagawulayo kuba kaloku ngabona bantu abona bagcina abazukulwana nabajonga amakhaya xa iintombi zihambile.

Translation: Yes, I see a need for them to be trained because HIV/AIDS affects them as well as it affects young people. We are responding late [to this issue] because we put more effort on the youth and forgot that senior citizens get infected too. They are the ones who feed and look after the sick and the abandoned.

E-mail Thandeka Teyise

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