A few weeks ago, an 11 year old boy was referred to the WhizzKids United Health Academy from Edendale Hospital. He fell from a tree onto an iron fence which pierced between his ribs and lungs. This child regularly begs on the streets for food. He collects his food and then hides it at the top of a tree so that other children cannot steal it from him. He then returns the following day to collect it. After staying in the hospital for a week, we learned not only about his sad conditions but also about his heartbreaking family story. 

He lives with his 16 year old sister, 14 year old brother and his sister's 2 year old toddler. His mother passed away when he was a baby whereas his father passed away when he was in the 2nd grade. His sister's boyfriend is in his thirties and is the sole provider for the family. Both he and his sister does not attend school, whilst his brother returned to school this year after a year-long break. 

His sister's boyfriend sadly has the family in the palm of his hand. He never allows her to come to the WKU Health Academy for HIV Counselling and Testing and she is not able to afford the taxi fare without him. She is also in no position to refuse sex or even discuss the use of condoms or other contraceptives. If she did, then he threatens to let the family starve as retaliation. He does not live with the family but comes to their home any time he feels like it. Sometimes he comes in the middle of the night when they are all sleeping. If she complains that he is waking up the kids, then he beats her. If the boys try to help their sister, then he beats all 3 of them.

They live about 15km away from the WKU Health Academy and due to this fact we have struggled with being able to help them thoroughly. Like many families in this situation, they will not let the police intervene. Even with our encouragement and cooperation with law enforcements, the police still needs evidence of abuse or a complaint from a family member about the issue. And the family members won't issue a complaint because it would be considered as "biting the hand that feeds you."

We have even brought this issue to numerous foster care services. But, unfortunately, social workers in this area have such a heavy workload that cases can easily become lost in the shuffle. For example, one particular sexual crisis center in Edendale can easily average 50 cases per month. One social worker even admitted to us that the number of cases she handles is ten times the amount social workers see in the United States. Although foster care services have declared that they will look into the issue, their assurance never sounds firm and our fears for the family begin to worsen. 

This is a sad reality that many families and clinics like ours encounter. Whilst it is generally rewarding to work at the WhizzKids United Health Academy, it never gets any easier when we cannot help out a case of this nature to our fullest capabilities due to certain limitations. As we watch over the young brother in his recovery, we do all we can to encourage him and his family to come to the Health Academy without overstepping any boundaries. Besides helping the young man to heal, our role is to provide constant care and support to the family even if they are still scared to reach out for help.

Cases like this reminds all of us that the Health Academy is more than just a clinic or a soccer pitch. It is an institution of prevention, care, treatment and support for HIV and AIDS. It is a center where the community can come together and a safe haven for children. Our hopes are that one day proper funding and resources will allow us to build and develop more Health Academies in different communities. Therefore, we can be more active in stopping this issue of fear, abuse and pain. But, as for now, our focus lies on this family as we will continue to do as much as we can.