Message from James Fraser, Co-founder and Executive Director, Dignitas International

From the Spring/Summer 2010 Newsletter


2010 MARKS the beginning of a new decade – and a new phase of growth for Dignitas International. I can hardly believe how much has changed since we first opened the Tisungane HIV/AIDS Clinic at Zomba Central Hospital. When I traveled to rural communities across the district in 2004, I would see people ravaged by disease, with no hope for treatment, ostracized by their loved ones, waiting to die.

When I visit Zomba today, I meet people who are living openly with HIV, who work and provide for their families, who raise their voices in song, who have hope that life is possible – that a future for their children is possible. I arrive at health centres where people can now access antiretroviral treatment, and I read through heavy binders that contain the names of thousands of people who would not be alive without this treatment.

Despite our progress, there are still many more people across Malawi who continue to die needlessly of illnesses that are both preventable and treatable. Beginning this year, Dignitas will start expanding HIV/AIDS- related services to five additional districts in Malawi, taking what we have learned in Zomba and working hand-in-hand with the Malawi Ministry of Health to ensure that tens of thousands more people gain access to life-saving treatment. This growth is only a first step in widening the reach of our work and strengthening the AIDS response.

We could not celebrate our past achievements or look forward to reaching new goals without the dedication and engagement of our many supporters across the globe. On a recent trip to Malawi, I sat next to a woman waiting to see a nurse at a health centre outside of Zomba. She asked me who I was and why I was there,so I told her about my work with Dignitas. She didn’t understand why people in North America would care about her family or whether she lived or died. I explained that there are others at home, just like me, who believe that her life is worth no less than their own lives. She leaned back, and her face lit up with a beautiful smile. We sat there like that – in silence, smiling at one another – for what felt like a long time, sharing the recognition of our common humanity.

Through compassion and a strong sense of equity, you are helping to not only raise awareness and resources that have a significant impact on our work, but you are exemplifying the shared sense of community and humanity that pushes us to keep moving forward – to realize our vision that one day, equitable access will be available to all.

-------

To read the full newsletter, please click on title of this posting.