Sparrow

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It is so hard to imagine, as they reach up at me, smiling ear to ear, asking for their turn to be swung around or helped down the slide, or trotted around as if on a pony, that each of these precious children -- with his or her own character and temperament and story and future -- is carrying a deadly virus. We visited Sparrow today. Sparrow is an AIDS orphanage and hospice center. It takes adults whose CD4 counts are 150 or less (200 is full-blown AIDS and 2000 is normal for a healthy person) and children who are HIV-positive and "abandoned," meaning orphans or children of parents who are unable to care for them. It offers housing, food, nursing care, social services and a real sense of community. Sparrow is an incredible sanctuary outside the center of bustling Johannesburg -- an oasis of safety, nurturing, playing, learning, comfort, company and hope.

We were invited to Sparrow (www.sparrowvillage.org) by Cindy Marschner, aunt of our dear friend Kim (thank you Cayo for the connection!)

Before I left the U.S. I knew this day would come -- the day when I would find myself writing something like this: When you hear about the numbers of children orphaned by AIDS or carrying the virus, it is impossible to imagine that they are each individual personalities and spirits. But when you hold the tiny Thabo (namesake of the president) with the face of an old man, or Renee who remains quiet and expressionless until the very last moment of the visit, or Theba who at no more than 16 months carries the seriousness of a scholar in her brow, or other little girls that range from precocious to funny to sullen to aloof and little boys that greet you with everything from open arms to huge smiles to chatty questions to a kick in the ribs -- it is just unfathomable to imagine the numbers. All the unique, precious lives and futures that are affected by this disease. (stl) See Sparrow photos

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