HIV Awareness raising in prisons and communities

It is a usual sunny Wednesday morning, when we arrive at the prison hospital. Because we want the prisoners to trust us, we make sure they see the same faces every time when we visit. Colleagues Ard and Thorung know the prisoners very well, and the prisoners know them very well. Arriving in the room where the activities will take place, prisoners are already waiting.

We start with a little ice-breaker. (what was the ice-breaker of that day?) While the group is talking about how they see their future, Thorung went for a walk to see the prisoners who are too sick to attend the activities. 

Uncle Saeng 
‘When I, Thorung, arrived at Uncle Saeng his bed, he is already trying to get up because he is looking forward to our visit. He directly starts telling me stories. He used to be a police officer, for the prevention of drugs. For several reasons, (he will not tell) he ended up dealing drugs himself. At the age of 35 he got caught and got life sentence. Because of his HIV-infection he cannot move his legs anymore. I am checking if there is any feeling in his feet by ticking on his feet. He nods. ‘I can feel them, but I just cannot move them’ he tells me. I know this is not only due to HIV but also the lack of hope he has for the future.’

Miracle
Last year uncle Saeng almost died. He was very sick and had bedsores everywhere. His last wish was to see his family. Siam Care arranged this family reunion where he could see his wife and two children. Nobody knows what exactly happened but Saeng got better. He was even able to walk a little.

It is about waiting
Saeng has to wait. After he sits two third of his time in prison he can make an appeal asking permission to go back to his wife and children. It is still a long time to go. But it is worth waiting for. We keep reminding him that. So that he will not lose hope.

(For security reasons the names used in this article are not real.)