Healing powers of Hope

Seems like the best was saved for last. Our final day in India brought us to an AIDS clinic in Karnataka, one of India's most highly infected states. Many of our experiences in India have been difficult to put into words, but this one tops my list. Our visit to the AIDS clinic has not left my mind since we've returned - and I've mulled over the best way to write about it. Though I'm still not entirely satisfied with it, here's my best effort at capturing the way this visit has forever impacted me and the lens through which I see the world.

I am familiar with the the AIDS epidemic in Africa, and the startling statistics that accompany it. It gets a lot of press. Yet India, too, has a problem with AIDS that surpasses understanding. It is estimated that 0.3% of India's population is infected; and while this may seem small in percentage, it is large in numbers when you insert India's massive population into the equation. In a recent publication, USAID projected that between 2 million and 3.1 million are living with HIV/AIDS in India.

Karnataka is a state in southern India that is occupied by over 2400 miles of state highway and numerous truck stops. The transient nature of the truck driving profession and the desperation of Indian women to meet the basic financial needs of their families creates the perfect storm. Prostitution in this area is thriving and the AIDS virus is spreading at a pace that is difficult to contain. A few years ago, The New York Times ran a series of lengthy but revealing articles highlighting this exact problem, and in a way that is much richer than I have been able to articulate on this blog. Click here to read one of them. (Turns out that you have to sign up for a free account to read the article, but it'll be worth it, I promise.)  I was moved as I read these articles in 2005, not knowing that I would be setting foot in this very area three years down the road.

Just like our other days in India, our team was not given a lot of information about what the day would entail. (And often, this proved to be a good thing.) If you are like me, you think "AIDS clinic" and a hospital or a doctor's office comes to mind. This is what I was expecting. After a few hours of driving, we pulled up to a tiny 20 ft x 20 ft brick and cement structure with a roof constructed of tin and plastic. Outside, two women in saris sat at a tv-tray sized table with a pile of notebooks beside them, reminiscent of the "blue books" I had to purchase in college to write my exam essay answers in. Each person who came to the clinic had his or her own book, which contained information on when and how the AIDS virus was contracted, and documented each visit. Crammed inside the building was a tailoring school and a medical supply room. The medical supply room was filled with packages of immune boosting vitamins and drugs that are handed out to patients as they visit the clinic each month. As the clinic has no beds, it is only able to provide basic support for those who already know they are infected with HIV or AIDS.

This very basic support is a lifeline for Dalits and other Indians who do not have any other hope of receiving medical treatment. This was illustrated by a horrific story shared with us as we toured the facility. Days before our visit, the four bodies of a local family were found in their home. The father of this family had recently required emergency care relating to an accident, and was told that he had the AIDS virus. His wife was encouraged to get tested and found that she, too, was HIV positive. The family was had no money and feared the iminent death that lay ahead of them. In a twisted attempt to control their fate, they poisoned the family dinner and murdered their two small children and killed themselves. They had no hope. In an act which seems heinous to us, these parents made what they felt to be the only honorable choice for their family.

This humble clinic has created a ray of light that cut through the darkness faced by these families. I saw undeniable evidence of the healing power of hope. Many patients only come to the clinic once a month, but say that these visits are what keep them alive. Their spirits are healed in the knowledge that someone cares for their situation, that they are not alone, and in the experience of human kindness from strangers, even as they are shunned by their own people.


The clinic is empowering the Indian Dalits to help themselves. Young men and women with AIDS were training to be counselors, nurses and staff members. There are amazing things happening at this clinic, yet there is still much work to be done. The dreams the staff have for this ministry are so big that to me, they don't seem possible. Yet my realm of possibility is limited by my experiences; the minds of these men and women have been exposed to so much that they are able to dream far beyond the walls I enclose my thoughts in.

Our visit concluded with a group prayer and a chorus. Surrounded by our team, the clinic workers, and local AIDS patients, we came together and sang "Give Thanks." who were praising their Savior for their many blessings. That scene will remain in my mind and my heart for the rest of my life. The off-key notes of these voices expressing their thanks was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard.

Give thanks with a grateful heart

Give thanks to the holy one

Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, his son

Give thanks

And now, let the weak say "I am strong"

Let the poor say "I am rich"

Because of what the Lord has done for us

Give thanks

In this holiday season, I am filled with emotion as I attempt to quantify the things I have to be thankful for. They are beyond measure; I cannot deny the magnitude of my blessings. So, rather then deny them, I am choosing to embrace the responsibility that accompanies them.

Click here to read USAID's September 2008 Profile of AIDS in India.

Click here to read about the AIDS epidemic in the Indian state of Karnataka.