Sunday, August 13, 2006
Mashiah Foundation
It was soon clear that our work with Urban Ministry would not take up two months time, so Rosemarie and I volunteered for two weeks with the Mashiah Foundation teaching literacy to women with HIV/AIDS. Mashiah was started seven years ago by a husband-wife team to reach out to people with AIDS. Although there are many organizations that work with people with HIV/AIDS, this couple, Pastor Bayo and Mary Beth Oyebade, saw a gap that they could fill. They now have a youth program, a home-visit program, they give out many free medications and a program called Women of Hope.
Women of Hope is a home specifically for women with HIV/AIDS. Many of these women are widows or have been kicked out of their home. Many were starving, on the streets and had no where to turn. By God’s grace, they found out about Mashiah Foundation and there were given medicine and new hope. Women of Hope offers skills training in the line of quilting, which they sell at their store to tourists to Nigeria. They are currently exploring options as to how to export these beautiful quilts, pillows, wallhangings (and more…) to North America. Through the income these women generate through selling their quilting, they are able to care for their children, rent a house and pay for school fees.
What impressed all of us SMPers who visited these women was how they always introduced themselves as HIV positive. They are taught to not be ashamed of who they are, but instead, live life as full as they can with the health they do have. The women love to sing Hausa (their language) praise songs and it is amazing to hear them praise God with their whole hearts when they have such a terrible disease. They all were so thankful to God for the Mashiah Foundation and for their new lives. Its so hard to understand why they are not bitter to God for giving them AIDS, instead, they praise Him for it. Absolutely incredible.
Although Rosemarie and I could not make a huge difference in someone’s reading skills in two weeks, it was amazing to see women read their first word ever, they were so proud and happy. I hope that I will never take my education for granted again.
Women of Hope is a home specifically for women with HIV/AIDS. Many of these women are widows or have been kicked out of their home. Many were starving, on the streets and had no where to turn. By God’s grace, they found out about Mashiah Foundation and there were given medicine and new hope. Women of Hope offers skills training in the line of quilting, which they sell at their store to tourists to Nigeria. They are currently exploring options as to how to export these beautiful quilts, pillows, wallhangings (and more…) to North America. Through the income these women generate through selling their quilting, they are able to care for their children, rent a house and pay for school fees.
What impressed all of us SMPers who visited these women was how they always introduced themselves as HIV positive. They are taught to not be ashamed of who they are, but instead, live life as full as they can with the health they do have. The women love to sing Hausa (their language) praise songs and it is amazing to hear them praise God with their whole hearts when they have such a terrible disease. They all were so thankful to God for the Mashiah Foundation and for their new lives. Its so hard to understand why they are not bitter to God for giving them AIDS, instead, they praise Him for it. Absolutely incredible.
Although Rosemarie and I could not make a huge difference in someone’s reading skills in two weeks, it was amazing to see women read their first word ever, they were so proud and happy. I hope that I will never take my education for granted again.
# posted by Stephanie @ 7:13 PM 
