Newsletter: Winter, 2002

Living in Wellness—Capacitar and AIDS
— Patricia Mathes Cane, Ph.D. Capaticar Founder/Co-Director

What does living in wellness mean to the majority of the human family impacted by poverty, violence, trauma and AIDS? This is a question that Capacitar ponders as our outreach extends to Southern and Eastern Africa, Indonesia, East Timor, Colombia, places of violence in the US, and in 2003 to Haiti and Ireland.

During summer workshops in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa, we became deeply aware of the overwhelming needs of millions of people affected by AIDS. Currently over 24 million Africans have HIV, with 11,000 people being infected and 6,000 dying daily. By 2010 Africa is expected to have 40 million orphans, with many becoming street children trying to survive by whatever means they can (Brown, L. Earth Policy Reader, 2002).

One social worker in Durban, SA asked for advice on what to say to children in her orphanage who were angry with God because four of their playmates had just died of AIDS. She wept as she described the grief of these small children. In Johannesburg we worked with a number of youth, many who were HIV positive, who were struggling to help their peers living on the streets. These youth, who understood how bleak their future is, were caring for their friends dying at a time when most young people are going to parties and dreaming about their own possibilities. Some spoke of the hopelessness, desperation and negativity they felt and even considered suicide. We felt such pain for these young people, and came away from all this suffering and desperation, desiring to offer what Capacitar can give to caregivers, youth and groups working with HIV/AIDS.

Capacitar has a long history of teaching simple wellness practices to awaken people to their own source of wisdom and strength. Many of the youth and caregivers desired to learn skills in handling the trauma of grief, loss, abandonment, violence, abuse and growing up in overwhelming circumstances. Others asked to learn skills of psychological and spiritual caregiving to accompany dying family members and friends, as well as skills in palliative care. And almost all participants in our African workshops desired spiritual, emotional and physical skills in self-care to live their own lives with principles of wellness. As one young man said: " We are all going to die. You may die of an accident; I may die of AIDS. What I want to learn is how to live and die well!"

As we shared in the vibrant song and celebration of many Africans, we realized how much we have to learn about living well from people who are so close to life and death. In pondering the darkness of our times Capacitar is inspired by the strength and courage of many who cry out to live in wellness bringing care and hope to their communities and to the world.