Many years ago, we started the tradition of remembering the children who died that year, during the World AIDS day. Amecet started 23 years ago with the main target of HIV+ children. In the begin years we had many HIV+ children in our Home. And on December first, we named all the children who had passed on that year, we lighted a candle and shared something about each child, as a last honor to them. This year we had 4 children to remember, and none of them died because of HIV/AIDS!!! We are very thankful about that, seeing children dying from AIDS is so sad, they all got the infection through birth, their mother was HIV+ and gave the virus to their baby. Because of the good prevention the government of Uganda set up towards the mother to child infection, are there not many babies born with HIV anymore.
In all those years we have had 190 children who were HIV+ in Amecet, 80 of them had also TB. And in all those 23 years we had 110 children who died in Amecet. In 2005, 10 children died in Amecet and in 2007, 11 children died in Amecet, that was very hard and we had many candles burning during our memorial gathering on the first of December.
This year 4 candles, all for children who died of malnutrition, sickness and maybe of a broken heart.... one child was born alive after an attempt of abortion and the mother ran away and left the baby behind.. Another baby died of starvation, the mother, who had a mental problem and epilepty, was told not to breastfeed her baby, because the " sickness" could than go into the baby. One of those 4 precious childeren lost the mother at birth and the grandmother could not cope with it and fed the baby porridge.. I was thinking of all those many first of December gatherings I have led and I can not get use to them, it always touches me and brings me tears.... The children are in a better place, but still it hurts to see them dying.
Just before the meeting , I was called to come to the hospital to pick up a 2 weeks old baby, who lost his mother and during the meeting we received a 2 years old girl, via the Police. She was abandoned by her mother. We gave her the name Grace.... We all need Grace to get through the day and this little girl especially, we pray that we will find her relatives..
Tomorrow, we will get a new preterm baby, weighing 1.6 kg... We pray all will go well with her, we need God's Grace... After the meeting we stand up again, blow out the candles and continue to care for the children God brings to our doorstep, we do the best we can and we know that some children are brought to us to die with dignity, care, love and prayers... For some we will still be a doorway to Heaven!!!
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