January 12, 2015

Location for women's organization
Photo Credit: Kirstie Geier

Kirstie: Today we took about a two-hour bus ride to learn about an organization of women who help other women in their community infected with HIV. This group of women provided ways for those infected to obtain skills to use in the workforce. They also helped them to sell various items that they made like jewelry, seat covers, candles, and bags to students who come to the D.R. to help them make a profit. We were also informed of the D.R.’s viewpoints towards those with HIV and how it is still considered a topic of taboo. The organization even went to great lengths to create a name that had no affiliation with the words HIV to not reveal that the members were infected. People also do not share or talk about their infection with HIV because of the country’s views towards individuals who are infected with this virus. Also, not all patients have to report to the ministry of health that they have HIV. In the public hospitals, the patients do not have a choice and it is reported, but in the private hospitals the patients are given the choice. We were also informed that many of the individuals who struggle with HIV are located in the poor rural areas, where they do not have close access to healthcare and have difficulty affording their healthcare. The mainstay of treatment for HIV is antiretroviral drugs, which are very costly. The cost of these drugs is covered for by donations from various organizations such as WHO (World Health Organization) for patients here in the D.R. Unfortunately, the leader of the program informed us that she was unsure what the next steps would be when the funds and donations came to an end, which was in the near future. Without proper treatment those individuals infected with HIV will have a shorter life-span and a life of poor quality. The lack of care for these patients could result in a vast spreading of this disease and detrimental health outcomes for the D.R.

Women of the HIV organization
Photo Credit: Rose Kalala

Rose: The women also explained that the closest healthcare facility was 4 km away, thus many of them utilize traditional medicines as their first line of healthcare, but if serious medical attention is required they must go to the next town over. They gave many examples of traditional medicinal remedies used in the community. Some examples included, olive oil and cilantro to relieve congestion or boiling bright orange tree leaves in water for parasite treatment in children. These remedies spread throughout the community by word of mouth and have been passed down from generation to generation for many years. They are so widely used in more rural areas because they are cheaper and more feasible to make since access to first level hospitals (or any other level) is extremely difficult. The president of the organization shared a personal example of this difficulty when her mother fell ill and had to be taken to the hospital. The only way her family could transport her was on the back of a motorbike. This made me realize just how fortunate we are as Americans to have the access to care that we do. Even though some have it easier than others, we all have the ability to reach a hospital or some form of healthcare provider whereas a lot of people in these rural towns of the D.R. do not.

Handcrafted work by the Dominican women
Photo Credit: Crystal Croom

Crystal: Today as we were visiting the women who helped other women infected with HIV where we were offered to buy the crafts they had hand crafted. There was a wide selection of items to buy, such as candles, rugs, jewelry, vanilla extract, and a traditional remedy. They really only sell their goods to visitor like us, so it was nice to contribute to their cause. A lot of the products were made of recycled materials, which is good for the environment. As they were telling us about their products there were a few kids in the corner making noise. As I reflected on this, it was quite distracting, but the speaker did not seem distracted at all. It helped me realize a difference between our culture and Dominican culture. Many Dominicans are accustomed to background noise and can continue the task at hand, unlike Americans who are distracted by any form of background noise or interruption. Also, while they were discussing their support for those with HIV, many of us had questions about the people in the community that are actually infected with the disease. In the Dominican culture questions as such are considered taboo and are inappropriate to ask. It was encouraging to learn about the women coming together in the community to support each other and those infected with HIV.