Erica Johnson – CCS Experience (CAASAH)

The experience I had in Brazil was the most worthwhile thing ever in my life and I can’t believe how much I achieved in only two weeks, it outweighed mw expectations far more than I could of ever imagined, there were so many things that stood out that if somebody asks me how I enjoyed Brazil I go on and talk for about half an hour then have to apologize for talking so much but I am still so excited about the whole experience and want to tell everybody about everything I learnt and saw my work placement was at CAASAH a hospice for children and adults with HIV/AIDS.

For some unknown reason the director kept telling me to go in to the baby room, get them out of their cots and play with them using a few old toys she brought each day. I was so pleased when we could get all of the children together as I loved sitting with the boys who loved to watch you draw. I would draw dogs, cats, birds, trees, butterflies and as I drew the picture they would tell me what the colors were in Portuguese.

After the first week I felt that we had to plan something constructively. I had taken paper and crayons with me to Brazil, so cut out squares in circles in preparation, I only took the green, yellow and blue crayons as that was all we needed to put together a Brazilian flag , hidden in our pockets we had a tube of glue to stick the parts together. When we arrived with our bag of bits the children looked excited, we shared out the crayons, gave them the paper and showed them one we had made earlier, within seconds the paper and crayons had disappeared. Arthur and I looked puzzled at each other not understanding where everything had gone, then I noticed a young boy who looked to have something in his mouth, they had all peeled the wrappers off the crayons, folded the paper into a small square and tucked everything into their mouths.

The children do not possess anything, their bedrooms are with concrete floors, plain walls and a bed with a mattress and mattress protector, some of the older children had an odd blanket, there are no toys, cupboards or pictures on the walls so taking a look in their bedroom helped you to understand why they were so keen to protect the small things we were giving them.

The next day we took a large sheet of green paper with lines of a football pitch drawn on it and sheets of plain paper, we tried to encourage the children to draw people to put on the pitch but they lack so much self esteem that it was almost impossible, we ended up drawing the people and they were more confident cutting out our pictures (with safety scissors!)

The following day I took 2 skipping ropes which I had took from the UK, as you swung the rope they played music and a voice sang a song: 1,2,3 jump! jump! We translated the song into Portuguese and the children would sing along, it was great, they learnt to share, to take turns, they danced on the sidelines to the music and they laughed at me trying to skip, which I hadn’t done for years! The children asked for the skipping ropes everyday after this.

The director noticed that we wanted to work with the children and had been keen to stick our work on the walls; in the middle of the second week she brought us some paints and large sheets of paper, she divided the children into 2 groups and I was assigned the older ones, I thought we could dip our fingers in the paint and dab it on the paper to create pictures, this started well but then they saw Arthur’s group covering their hands with the paint and making hand prints on the paper, we had so much fun, they were covered in the paint , clapping each other hands to see how slippy it was and listen to the squelching noise it made, Arthur had kids piled in the sink washing paint off them while I got them dried and then they would have another go with another color, the kids were laughing, they were proud of their work and when we finished we put the pictures of the children, the director saw that we were having so much fun, she got her camera out .

By the end of the second week I felt as though I had achieved something, I was accepted by the children and the nurses that worked with them, I had encouraged the other volunteers to get organized so the time they spent with the children was more worthwhile and I was educating new volunteers in the second week about HIV/AIDS as I think it was volunteers fears of the unknown that putting them off.

The most memorable thing about my experience was meeting a little girl called Cleide Jane on my first day she was in her cot, taking all her clothes off and obviously frustrated that she’d been left in there. I went over to her and re-dressed her, she climbed over the sides of the cot and got out, which I was a bit worried about in case she fell on the stone floor, a nurse came through the door and shouted her, I thought I was in the wrong and shouldn’t have let her out but I began to notice that the other nurses didn’t have much time for her and she was left to run round, jump on tables and had a habit of hitting the other children with her shoe. I found out that she was two and a half and seemed to be behind in her development than the other children of a similar age. I picked her up, gave her a hug, sang songs to her and patted her back when she was tired and just wanted to sit quiet, by the end of the second week she would pat my back and say oohh oohh, which is what I’d been saying to her. she had awful scarring on her skin and I learned that she had nearly died twice, she was late to learn to walk were slow to develop. This girl was only two and a half and already she had suffered a worse life than nobody could ever imagine, but she was a fighter, she had a great character and just needed some love, whenever I’m down or things aren’t going to plan in my life I’ll always remember this courageous girl.

The care workers who worked with the children to get them up and dressed, washed and fed were only paid with a box of groceries at the end of the month so I supposed I regarded them more as volunteers and tried to help them as much as I could, some of them looked at us with caution and were reluctant to make conversation with me but there was one lady who worked three days a week, she got on really well with the children, I would take my phrase book and we would have conversations using the book and by the end of the second week I was beginning to recognize what she was asking or telling me without the book, if I’d stayed longer I would of really enjoyed working with her as she joined in our activities with the children where as many of the others just stood at edge of the room.

The staff in the house were wonderful, they were welcoming, friendly and made you feel at home, the cleaner and the kitchen staff especially were very smiley people and were often singing to themselves, if you’d had a bad day on your placement they would give you a hug and make you feel so much better, this was very strange for me as I’m reluctant to give people a hug or usually be that friendly but it was so easy to accept their kindness and empathy.

I am glad I went for the experience and it was very sad leaving the house and the friends I had made, although I had been brave and not cried when I left my placement for the last time, the floods of tears erupted as I got on the bus to get to the airport, I cried all the way home on the plane, thinking about the children I had left behind, the conditions they lived in and how each of them had their own story of suffering at such a young age, I was constantly thinking about what I could do to help them when I got home, thank god it was night time on the plane and I had three seats all to myself so nobody could see me!

I do look at things very differently and compare things to Brazil all the time, I developed property and had to knock a wall down, the bricks would go in a skip and to the tip but I had seen a man struggling to buy a couple of bricks to put his house together, if only I could of sent them to him and it just shows how much we take for granted.

I have looked into adopting Cleide Jane, I thought if only I could make a difference to one person’s life, to allow her a better quality of life, access to better medication, education and allow her be part of a family but due to the politics of the British Government it would be very doubtful they would let me adopt a child with HIV, I’ll keep looking into it though.

I would suggest everybody should do some international volunteering as it really makes you think about things differently and makes you appreciate what you have, there are so many different projects there is something to suit everybody and the little time you spend is so worthwhile.

I have asked by a number of women’s groups to go and speak about my trip to Salvador. I have made up a notice board at work telling everybody about my experience and as the local newspaper helped with fundraising I have written an article about my experience as a follow up.

Yes you can share my experience with others considering a CCS and I am willing to be a reference.

Many thanks for this opportunity.

CAASAH: Shanda September- October '04

You will find there is very little consistency or schedule in the lives of the children and adults at CAASAH. Most of the care takers at CAASAH work for a basket of food and come when they are able, thus care takers change often. You may only see a care taker for week, on and off for a month or just for a day. The children do not try to learn their names, but instead refer to alI of them as Tia( o) or "Tia in the blue shirt." Because the care takers changed so often and with them rules and "correct" way of doing thing, I let the children's needs guide my work and the priority of rules, while working along side each new care takers as best I could.

Babies:
Not alI of the babies have HIV. It takes several tests to determine if the children have the virus. According to one of the nurses, the children often need to be 2 or 3 years old before the diagnosis is certain. Either way the good new is that many of the babies will receive an HIV free diagnosis and will leave CAASAH.

The babies spend practically alI of their first two years in a crib. It worked well for us to put alI of the babies on the floor of the room connected to the baby bathroom, allowing them to interact with each other and exercise while we took one at a time for baths. It is best if you have two people, one to bath and one to watch the kids. For the most part they are ok. However they are working on learning to share and Marcos (I have heard that he has been adopted) has grown into a biter. He especially likes Andrea's head.

The babies are bathed in the small room off the baby room on the right as you come down the hall. The "bathtub" is a plastic tub placed over a white metal stand over the drain. The shower head usually has running cold water. There is a large insolated container, usually found in the room with the shower head. If you bring this to the kitchen they wilI boil water and filI it. Then you can mix the hot and cold for the babies' bathes. The tub is very easily tipped over. AlI it takes is one the babies peering over the edge for a dropped soap dish. I found holding the baby under the armpit meant if need be I could hold them up even if the tub began to tip over. The soap dishes work welI to pour water over the babies and as bath toys.

Extra diapers are often found in a cabinet in the nurses' medicine/supply room on the left side of the hallway. Tissues, wipes, and rash cream are very useful to buy and bring as there is usually none at CAASAH. I don't recommend leaving any of the supplies at CAASAH. It wilI not be there when you return.

AlI of the babies like singing and music, and wilI usually stop crying and/or dance along. This is realIy helpful when you are the only volunteer and cannot get to alI of the babies at once.

Cleide Jane
Cleide does have AIDS (not just HIV). She is often sick and her muscles are underdeveloped. When I first arrived at CAASAH she was about 10 months old and could not hold herself up if I put her in a sitting position. I made sure to spend a few minutes every day making her use her muscles, holding her in a standing position or helping her sit. She loved the attention and by the time I left two months later she could hold herself standing by grasping the side of the crib.

Enrique
He likes to play on his side propped up in a supermodel-like pose. He is generally happy and like most of the babies just likes hearing his name.

Andre
Andre looks like the tough little guy, but he is really a push over and the other toddlers know it. He likes clapping. His mother lives in CAASAH, though I never saw her visit rum.

Samuel
He is one of the quieter babies. He rarely yells or cries for attention. Samuel smiles alI of the time.

Maria Victoria
Her mother supposedly comes to visit Vitoria, though I have never seen her. She usually starts crying when volunteers enter the roam. She loves "this little piggy" and will quiet down and stick her feet out of her crib to play.

Marcelo
He is called Macaco = monkey, because of his good crib climbing skills. Don't worry he can't get out. Like alI of the babies he likes music.

There are also two new baby girls as of this past January or February.

Children:

I definitely recommend bringing in supplies for games and crafts. Especially if you are alone start off slowly. Don't bring anything the first day. Get to know the kids a little and win a little trust and respect. Bubbles are very easy, especially if you are in charge of the wand and bubble solution. Balloons are fun, so are crayons, colored pencils and colored paper, balls and rackets (you'll find extra small rackets in the CCS supplies. I left many in the draws.)

The older girls will join in with these games and crafts, but not usually for long. We did a spa day for them and a few of the ladies. Face masks, hand and foot massage, nail polish, makeup... I'm not usually big into these things but the older girls really enjoyed it and towards the end alI of the children wanted a try including João and Sandro.

During the warmer months every Friday a volunteer from Salvador and a nurse take most of the children to the beach. This is another great way to get to know the kids. None of the adults seem to go into the water with them. The children were thrilled that we went swimming. Almost alI of the children will want to go with you into the deeper water. Margarete loves the water, but because of her handicaps she can't quite manage on her own, though she tries. Even while in the shallow water Margarete will keep scooting herself deeper into the water and is often flipped face down by the waves.

Michele
Michele will be one of the first to warm up to you. She is very hard of hearing. One of the previous CCS volunteers taught her a little sign language and she lights up when you show her your sign (As Sarah said, just make one up. Anything will do. Michele will be happy she can call you). She often acts younger than her age, which is probably do to the difficulty she experiences communicating with everyone.

Michele Bispo
This Michele is Miguel' s twin and one of the few children at CAASAH to attend school.

Sandro
Sandro loves playing with balls and rackets. That is a good way to get to know rum. He easily picks up on new games.

Ingrede
This beautiful little child you have to keep an eye on. Her way of getting desperately needed attention is doing everything you don't want her to. The grin on her face of the look in her eyes makes it plain she knows exactly what she is doing. As with alI of the kids, if you want any respect try not to let her think she has gotten away with anything. It doesn't really matter if they have, as long as they don't realize it. If you can try to beat her to the attention, giving it to her before she acts out.

Carol
She is easier to work with, because she is more inclined to listen. She will be very up set with you if she feels at alI neglected. These situations can be somewhat avoided if she clear on when her turn is before she thinks you have pushed her of[. Carol loves to hear you sing and it doesn't matter if you think you can't. If you know any dances to music I'm sure she would love to learn. My dancing skills go as far as the Hokie Pokie, but after I showed her once every day it was "Okie Pokie? Okie Pokie?"

Alice
She is on of the first children you will get to know, as she is usually the first to approach new volunteers. Alice is a great help with learning names. She is happy to join in any games and will join Carol with the Hokie Pokie.

Lucas
He, along with Moises and Edgar, is one of the younger children, as her was moved from the babies' room a year or so ago.

Edgar
He is very friendly and easy to get a long with. Edgar, like Lucas and Moises, is
willing to wait his turn. It is nice to look out for them, since the older children sometimes push them around. As most of the younger children Edgar likes to go with you into the ocean, but otherwise plays in the break water.

Moises
He is quiet and clam mannered. Moises likes to hold a ball at alI times and if it is taken he is not longer quiet or calm.

Daila
She like the other little boys has fairly recently moved in with the older children. She is Samuel's older sister, you can tell by their eyes.

Lourival (Louro)
As you have already read, Louro has a motor disorder of some kind, though that doesn't stop him from tumbling in waves or scaling the window sils. During my first month at CAASAH he did everything he could to destroy any activity or project the other children were involved with. He also acted as though he did not want any affection or attention. By the end of my second month his behavior changed tremendously. He began joining in the activities and gladly accepted attention. Louro even tried to help take care of the babies. Piggy back rides are a great way to earn his affection.

João
He, like alI of the children has had it rough. However he seems to hold everything in and is one of the most sensitive to abandonment. Both Miguel and João will cause trouble for attention. Their behavior was some of the easiest to change. AlI it took was attention and hugs. João likes writing. He is very thoughtful and often quiet.

Miguel
Is louder than João and often alI over the place, though he is very happy just sitting in your lap. He is quite a hoarder of anything you bring in and he will often enlist the alI to eager Alice as his accomplice.

Margarete
She has difficulty walking, more so than Louro, probably because she is less sure of herself. Margarete also likes piggy back rides and drawing. She listens pretty weIl to what you say, but wiIl get that glint in her eye like she knows something you don't, especiaIly when the older girls are present.

Barbara
She is stand off-ish and more wary of strangers than most of the others. Going to the beach and Spa day were helped us get closer to her. Barbara does want attention and affection, but you wiIl have to work awhile before she wiIl accept it.

Juliete
Her father takes her home fairly regularly. She can be helpful, but can also bully the younger children. She knows a little English, but you have to push her before she'll try speaking.

Marli
While she is actually the same age as Michele she fits in with the older girls. When she acted out I had to remind myself that she was younger.

Cristiane
You need to get to know her. She was the first child brought to CAASAH. She knows how things are run better than most of the caretakers and obviously doesn't want to be treated otherwise. She can be a great help. AlI of the children look up to her. If you are trying to teach them a new game and your Portuguese is so-so or non-existent teach it to Cristiane first and ask her to teach the others. She can be difficult to get to know, but it will help you immensely if you do. She went out of her way to show she was ignoring me my first few days. I tried to treat her as an equal and whenever I needed anything I sought her out first. She is still a child and will show it. I don't think humiliating her by punishment in front of the other children would work with her. While it took some time I waited till I had gained some of her respect before I tried to put her back in line. She does want your affection, but is very aware that people come and go, so it will take time. Some of my best moments at CAASAH were when I made Cristiane smile.

Cristiane has AIDS and the medications have strong side effects. Several days she stayed in bed, in too much pain to join us. I think her liver is badly damaged and I'm not sure how much longer she will live.

Michele Bispo, Carlos & Gilson
These three children attend school regularly, so you will not see them often. When they are around the enjoy joining most any activity.

I hope this will help you a little with your first day. You are welcome to email me. Have fun. shandagomes@hotmail.com

My experiences in Salvador

To me, the summer of 2003 will never be forgotten. For two months I lived and volunteered in Salvador, BahIa. I spent my days working with adults and children who suffer from HIV and AIDS. I was located in Alagados, a shanty neighborhood in Bahia. There are roughly 87 people living in the house/hospital known as CAASAH where I worked. CAASAH is unique in that it's also a home, as weIl as a hospital. Brazil has a reaIly wonderful government-funded program that offers aIl who suffer from HIV IAIDS treatment, free of cost. The drawback is that they must live in these governmental run hospitaIs, far from their families and friends. For the children, CAASAH acts as a pseudo-orphanage. I use the term "pseudo" because these children wiIl never be adopted in better lives - CAASAH is a hospital, not an adoption center.

I spent most of my time with the children. AIl but six of them are orphans, and aIl but one suffer from HIV or AIDS. Most of the children have either been abandoned by their families, or have been left at CAASAH after their parents deaths. The six children that do have parents are aIl newborns whose mother's are too sick with AIDS themselves, and cannot properly care for their babies.

Sice CAASAH offers free treatment, the people who live there, the adults and the children come from poverty-stricken backgrounds. Life at CAASAH is not pleasant. Meals are frugal and activities are non-existent. One single TV serves as their sole source of entertainment and the only link to the world beyond the waIls of CAASAH. No one can leave without authoritative permission and a supervisor.

I remember clearly the day I had to explain to a 5-year old boy why one of the volunteers had left. After two weeks of bonding with Niraj (another male volunteer working with me at the start of my placement), little Gilson was calling him "Pai", the Brazilian word for "Dad". The first day I arrived to my placement without Niraj, Gilson's first question was "where is my dad?". I explained that Niraj had left, that he had gone to his country, and that he wasn't coming back. I assured Gilson that even though Niraj left Brazil, he will always love him and never forgot the days they played together in the park. It broke my heart to tell Gilson that this man he had trusted was now gone from his life. This little boy, who had always been so full of energy, was lifeless. For the rest of the week, I never saw Gilson running around, never saw him causing trouble (what he is best at), and only saw him lose interest in our activities. This little boy who had already lost his parents and any family again lost someone very special. I only hope now that Gilson has learned from Niraj, and will always remember their special time together.

The hardest part about working at CAASAH is observing how little they have. The children don't have soap to wash their hands with, or shampoo to wash their hair with. There is no toilet paper in the bathrooms, and no toys in their rooms. These children have AIDS, and do not have band-aids. They are children, they bump and scratch things everyday, band-aids are a necessity! To me, CAASAH tends to forget that they are not only a hospital, but that they are a home for nearly 30 children who don't have parents; they don't have love from any other source than what’s inside the walls of CAASAH. The children are left to tend for themselves throughout the entire day. Their families are each other. The nurses are the medicine providers... they help them live, but they don't help them thrive.

Our role as volunteers was to provide these kids with love, and to teach them. We taught them how to share, how to color in between the lines, how to eat breakfast without throwing it across the room, and how to get angry without getting physical. I hope that today the kids at CAASAH remember the progress they made this past summer with us volunteers. Although it was little, it was noticeable. It’s impossible to change a lifestyle in just two months, but I like to think that my small impact will never be forgotten.

I may have returned to North America, but my work at CAASAH is not done. I am currently trying to get a 9-month old baby (the only child not suffering from HIV IAIDS at CAASAH) transferred to an orphanage. At CAASAH, no one comes to adopt; the children are all sick. This one baby is HIV -free, he has a chance to live a long, healthy life. My wish is for this baby to be transferred to Mother Teresa Orphanage, where couples are always looking to adopt in Salvador. In Brazil, everything is a long and tedious process, but I haven't given up yet.

I am returning to Salvador in February and would like raise a small amount of money before (any amount will help), and bring it as a donation to CAASAH. I will make sure this money is used for hygienic materials (toilet paper, shampoo, soap, band-aids, etc.), toys for the children, books/magazines for the adults, and any extra for some "goodies" for the children (they love chocolate!). In fact, my plan is to physically buy several of the objects while I am down in Brazil and bring them to CAASAH to ensure that the money is spent in proper ways.


For those interested in the volunteer program I went with, Cross-Cultural Solutions, please check out the following website: http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org/.
This organization has programs in countries all over the world and is very successful.