Painting Projects and Poetry

There’s a popular project many PCVs in Swaziland have been working on the past year. It’s a health awareness campaign which paints bus stops in PCVs communities with health tips and messages made public and available for those who might not be able to afford a visit to the clinic. At the time of each painting there’s a chance for dialogue and information to be distributed concerning the chosen topic.

I loved this idea and I’ve had the opportunity to assist other volunteers paint in their communities but had trouble finding a way to bring this project into my community. My village is fairly far out, bordering South Africa, and nowhere near a main road. Trees and rocks are my “truck stops” (instead of bus shelters). After talking with some of my community members, the PC office, and writing out a VAST proposal, we have tailored the painting project to the needs of my community. We decided to paint 2 pre-schools and 2 Neighborhood Care Points (NCPs). I then approached the schools, 2 primary schools and 1 high school, and held a drawing and poetry contest. The winner’s artwork or poetry would be painted onto the walls. The only requirement was that it had to be related to HIV/AIDS.

I returned to the schools last week to collect participants’ entries and was surprised at the turnout and the quality of the work. These children have experienced more pain and loss than most of us have or ever will experience. They have had family, friends, and/or loved ones who have passed due to HIV. In some cases they too have had to live with the virus either from Mother to Child transmission, from being raped, or from having unprotected sex. These kids know what it’s like to be stigmatized and they have personally felt the effects of the devastation from this terrible disease. Below are 3 poems that touched me. I hope you enjoy them and as you read it, think about what a BLESSED life you live.

Just Because I’m HIV Positive…
By: S. Matsenjwa
High School

Just because I am HIV positive
It does not mean I am dying tomorrow
It does not mean I am no longer human
I may even live longer and longer.

Just because I am HIV positive
It does not mean you must set aside
Spoons, toilets, dishes for me to use.
You can’t get HIV from those things.

Just because I am HIV positive
It does not mean I have no right
To work as a professional for government
I also like managing even though I am positive.

The right thing for you to do is get tested for the virus.
Stop stigmatizing me,
you might also have it right there in your blood
of which you do not know about.

What I may tell you is that I did not get it in a bad way.
It was just an accident.
I was only trying to help a person, just helping
I never knew she was HIV positive.


The Deadly HIV/AIDS
By: N. Sibmbo
Grade 6

Be careful! Beware! Be clever and alert
All you generations of tomorrow
AIDS kills and leaves no stone unturned

Therefore watch your steps
And straighten your paths
This is not a joke but millions of souls
Are under the grave you know!

Protect yourselves with everyway you can.
O’ even abstain from this monster disease
If it requires.

To you who are in relationships of any kind
Your spear should be faithfulness and also
Having protection when having intercourse.

To the youth and those innocent from love affairs,
I repeat to say abstinence
Is the only key to your survival.

All because AIDS kills without a limit.


AIDS Why?
By: N. Bhiya
Grade 5

AIDS! AIDS! Who are you?
You are an incurable disease
You kill our brothers and sisters.
You kill both old and young ones
Why HIV & AIDS?

You killed our mothers and fathers
They left us as orphans
We were having better dreams
About our futures but now
They’ve vanished in the air.
But why HIV & AIDS?

AIDS! You do not care about
The economy melt down.
Instead you are making it worse than before
As the number of orphans increases every year
Therefore increase government spending on orphans.
I do not understand! Why AIDS?!

Our future is doomed
When there is no food we are tempted
To be in love with sugar daddies because
They have ample money.
However, they are the ones who spread you HIV & AIDS
I am asking why HIV?

Young vibrant stars
Stand up and fight HIV & AIDS
So that we can make it possible
And achieve our goals in life.
Maybe we can get the reason why.