Our experienсe in SALT method

[Kamilla Sabirova]

Hi all from Kazan!

A want to share our experience in SALT method. Recently we've learned it and we practeсed it. Our practice was in a family where parents desided adopting four children with HIV from their birth. And one of these children has also cerebral palsy.  We interviewed the parents with interest asking them about their strengths and what they are proud for in their life and what things made them so strong in their desire to take children in their family. We are very grateful to these people who can do such noble things in ourdays and we learn from them how to fill our hearts with love so much that we may share it everthing who need it.

The result of such practice was in our deсision to take these children with us to picnic in the country near the lake where we swim with pleasure. The children were very happy to such event )) We spent a nice time there, everybody were glad.

Then we desided to hold a playday for children that live in our yard. It was realy cool day! So many children with their parents and grandparents came to our fete day. We organised it very good. A lot of different game activities we used, also we hold child disko then we let children to show their talents to everybody we hold many contests. Every child took presents for their participation in activities. Such event was useful not only for children, it also let many people in our yard become acquainted to each other more closely. Because we often live with no interest to life of our neighbors. But when we live like one big family it's so cool, you begin live with no fear about your future, cause every guy in your yard is your friend and you can relay upon him.

We were so glad of our experience that we desided to repeat it soon.

[Laurence Gilliot]

Hi Kamilla,

Your story shows how much we all crave to live closer to our neighbours, reconnecting as a community. I see this trend in every single country that I visited. It is also my dream...

What also stands out for me is to see how children can actually bring adults closer together.

 

Thanks for sharing,

 

Laurence

[Jean-Louis Lamboray]

Thanks Ian!

 

Keep articulating that link between home and community, a fundamental element of local responses!

 

JL

[Ian Campbell]

Thanks Kamilla

 

Your story is very significant because it reveals both the simplicity and the intimacy of neighourhood relationship and family response. Many people involved in HIV work find it easy enough to work with community based groups. The entry into personal yet shared confidentiality within the home and neighbourhood- for me at least -has revealed the foundation of 'going to scale'. Integration of care and prevention happens naturally because relational capacity is tested and helped simply by the most local 'community' face to face conversation. Transfer of optimism flows naturally as well -from person to person, family to family, neighbourhood to neighbourhood. Sustainability of local social  and health movement is grounded in such shared intimacy, as long as it is accompanied and respected and connected and facilitated.

 

We saw something of this possibilty in Samara just over a week ago. What beautiful conjunction of loss, hope, and faith! Not only in the basement conversation with the Catholic congregation of the Oblast , but also. as Marlou says, with the other SALT experiences. We all met the Baptist support group,each member sharing their astounding authentic transformative distinctive story. We saw also their open mind to the challenge that they are part of the solution to HIV in the city. We hope thay can link with Elena and Alexi, and I hope that the next step for our SALT friends in Samara can be following up the implicit invitation into the homes and apartment blocks and neighbourhood locations of some of the members of the group.  Unless HIV is stopped in places of formation of character, it will not be stopped-so the argument is very strong that we are not fully engaging until we find an invitation into the 'care to change' process in home and neighbourhood in all cultures.

 

We heard the story of the disabilty group reflecting closely the development of the care to change link I first noticed in Zambia in 1987. They spoke of stigma and how they stand with newly disabled people in a hospital and link with relatives there to find a way to follow up in the home. They send home care teams which foster reconcilaition with relatives and inclusion of the disabled as people with capacity and potential . Their experience informed our SALT team about approaches to HIV in the city.

 

Hope was felt and invitations exchanged. Another potential movement for care and change was stirred.

 

[Jean-Louis Lamboray]

Great blog Kamilla!

A wonderful illustration of the motto of Belcompetence: " To live better, let us live together differently!"

Thanks

 

JL