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this page Newsletters - The Impact of HIV/AIDS on Children
Trinidad and Tobago
Jonniebelle is a well-known figure in the beautiful Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Her wedding three years ago was covered in all of the major newspapers. Her fame stems from her courage in telling her story of living with HIV, which is still a taboo subject in much of the country. Not many associate the Caribbean with HIV/AIDS but Jonniebelle's story illustrates the impact of HIV on the lives of children throughout these islands.
At the age of nine, Jonniebelle had her first sexual encounter. She was raped by her elder brother, the same one who introduced her to a church that he was attending. At the age of 11, her brother raped her again. Jonniebelle, who had been such an outgoing girl, became a prisoner of her emotions. She was transformed into a withdrawn, angry individual with low self-esteem. Her school work suffered and she finished school without a proper education.
Jonniebelle continued to attend church, going through the motions. At 17, she met a young man, an evangelist, and two years later they were married. They had five children but the effects of being raped as a child affected the marriage relationship. Her husband became openly unfaithful to her and she was physically abusive to him. Her marriage of ten years ended in divorce. To ease her pain, she turned to marijuana, alcohol, cigarettes and promiscuity.
In 1991, she began to wonder if she had cancer. She was losing weight, had sores on her body, dizziness, fevers and swollen glands. Friends told her that she should be careful about one of the men with whom she had been having an affair. As her condition worsened, she decided to have a medical check-up. After various tests she discovered that she was HIV-positive. Jonniebelle’s world crumbled underneath her. She was filled with rage and anger.
Incest, abuse and family breakdown are rife in these islands and the effects echo down the years. Many voices have begun to speak out about HIV/AIDS in Trinidad today. Jonniebelle asked God for a second chance and has been given the opportunity to share her experiences with many churches throughout Trinidad and Tobago.
Others have been concerned to provide programmes for education. Within the last six years, a programme developed at the University of Illinois in Chicago and adapted for Trinidad and Tobago with the Family Planning Association (Trinidad and Tobago), has been instituted both in schools and churches. CHAMP (Collaborative HIV/AIDS Management Programme for Families) works with parents and teens aged 11 to 14 together, to strengthen family life, educate about HIV/AIDS and encourage teens to make wise choices. Lisa and her daughter Ishara attended a pilot course at All Saints Church, Port of Spain. Lisa works for the Trinidad Guardian and in her (patois) column she spoke of the benefits of the course:
Of course, it have alternatives to quarrelling. Me and Miss Thing start taking a workshop the other day. When you there struggling with your child, you does tend to feel you is the only one going through whatever it is. You feel you is the only mother who does get answer back, or can’t get the children to bathe, or who child does come home smelling like cigarette and you don’t know what to do.
It interesting to go to it because, as you must realise by now, I have a little problem with my temper. The last time in the class they ask parents what does make them trip off, I tell them my wares washing story, blushing red red fus I shame. But when I look around, everybody laughing – not at me, but with me. Is because everybody there, man and woman, rich and poor, does go through thing like that with their children once the children reach a certain age.
Two things I realising from this workshop. One is that I never miss a parents’ support group until I had one; and two is that it good to have more information and a different perspective on how to be a better parent.
In a country where more than 2% of the population is living with HIV and where stigma and discrimination are still rife, these are small but crucial steps to protecting our children and ensuring a healthy future for our communities.
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