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community I by Sonnet Force AFRICAN AiDS ANGELS It w a s t h e d a y M l u n g i s i P i u s D l u n g w a n e w a s o r d a i n e d B i s h o p o f M a r i a n h i l l R o m a n C a t h o l i c D i o c e s e in S o u t h A f r i c a . T w o o f h i s C a n a d i a n f r i e n d s , Vic a n d L o r r a i n e P a r s o n s , s t o o d w a t c h i n g t h e c e l e b r a t i o n in t h e c o m p a n y of August 2000, just outside of Durban 4 0 0 0 Z u l u p e o p l e . L o r r a i n e r e m e m b e r s , "It w a s o u t s i d e a n d it w a s t h e m o s t b e a u t i f u l t h i n g . T h e Z u l u p e o p l e w e r e d a n c i n g a n d s i n g i n g in t w e n t y - p a r t AIDS ' g o i n g t o f i g h t A i d s ' a n d t h a t t h e y ' c o u l d b e a t A i d s . ' " T h r o u g h o u t his inau- s y m b o l i c o f f e e d i n g the p e o p l e -- a n d t h e n he t a l k e d a b o u t h o w they were gural s e r m o n the n e w l y o r d a i n e d Bishop M l u n g i s i c o n t i n u e d to focus on Province...a h a r m o n y . A n d t h e n M l u n g i s i c a m e u p a n d he w a s h o l d i n g his c o r n s t a f f - t h e p o s s i b i l i t i e s o f c o n t r o l l i n g this r a m p a n t d i s e a s e w h i c h has infected an e s t i m a t e d one-third o f the adult p o p u l a t i o n o f KwaZulu-Natal province that has b e c o m e a land o f orphans. W h e n V i c a n d Lorraine Parsons travelled t o S o u t h A f r i c a t h a t s u m m e r it w a s t o visit with Mlungisi Pius Dlungwane u s e d t o s t a r v a t i o n , b u t t h e r e is n o t h i n g like this. T h e y s u f f e r s o m u c h . ' A n d y o u c o u l d s e e it. A n d t h e y have nothing. flower. T h e angels are m a d e a n d sold ($5 - $ 1 0 donation) a n d because most o f t h e m a t e r i a l is d o n a t e d , i n c l u d i n g t h e website, the organization is a b l e to ( w h o m t h e y b e f r i e n d e d in t h e late 8 0 ' s when he attended s c h o o l in O t t a w a ) International The of Parsons seven They have n o d r u g s e v e n t o relieve t h e suffering," recounts Lorraine. keep t h e costs l o w so that net proceeds raised are sent directly t o t h e African a n d t o p a r t i c i p a t e in t h e Aids were Conference part of a 2000. V i c a n d Lorraine have b e e n w o r k i n g in HIV/Aids are Canada for a long time and projects where the founders of the group o r g a n i z a t i o n have direct, reliable a n d personal contacts. Canadians from Victoria and Ottawa. attended a w a r e o f h o w d i f f i c u l t it c a n b e but they consider our country Together the group not only the Conference, but more here, importantly where blessed by comparison t o the situation t h e y e n c o u n t e r e d in S o u t h A f r i c a . T h e Parsons u n d e r s t a n d , in a very personal African projects Aids Angels supports Africa: four Assisi as visited hospitals a n d o r p h a n a g e s in S u b - S a h a r a n Shelter (also children suffering from Aids were being treated a n d cared for. They n o t e d the e x t r e m e lack o f f u n d s m e a n t that that Children's known way, t h e i m p a c t A i d s c a n have in one's life; t h e i r s o n is a h a e m o p h i l i a c a n d w a s infected with HIV through a blood T h e m b a l e t h u , or Brings Hope) r u n by t h e D a u g h t e r s o f St. Francis i n Annerly, South Village A f r i c a ; St. N i c h o l a s at the Makeni Orphanage Ecumenical services w e r e being cut a n d children w e r e in n e e d o f m o r e care than be provided. could transfusion here in C a n a d a . W h e n t h e Parson's s a w t h e A f r i c a n c h i l d r e n s u f f e r i n g a n d t h e caregivers w o r k i n g so hard a n d C e n t r e just o u t s i d e o f Lusaka, Z a m b i a ; an Aids Widows a n d St. support Mary's group in at its "We places really were so fortunate because we We Zulu with s o little r e s o u r c e s , t h e y and the Malawi: Hospital Since w e n t into the parishes a n d the small and we spent a saw the people. lot of time with o t h e r s in t h e i r g r o u p r e t u r n e d t o C a n a d a d e t e r m i n e d t o d o s o m e t h i n g a b o u t it. T h e y c r e a t e d African Marianhill in S o u t h Africa. i n c e p t i o n , African Aids Angels has sent Aids Angels. m o r e t h a n $ 5 0 , 0 0 0 . 0 0 t o t h e projects for f o o d , medicine, seeds, books and p e o p l e . A n d w e c o u l d see first hand, African Aids A n g e l s are m a d e from simple materials such as w o o d e n pegs and beads, scraps of cloth, ribbons a n d trim, a n d o t h e r items d o n a t e d by p e o p l e in the community. The angels are each given the n a m e of an African child (with the English translation) that has d i e d f r o m Aids; for example, Essien--a child b e l o n g s t o everyone, or A y a n a -- b e a u t i f u l n o t j u s t t h e little c h i l d r e n w h o h a d A i d s , b u t also t h e little c h i l d r e n w h o w e r e o r p h a n e d by Aids a n d w e talked t o the caregivers one came a n d I will never forget Hospital. this She in n u n at St. M a r y ' s other essentials. But this falls d e s p e r a t e l y s h o r t o f t h e actual need. Lorraine Parsons notes, things "Education is o n e o f t h e m a i n u p t o us a n d s h e w a s just we wanted to d o with the Aids Angels p r o j e c t f r o m t h e b e g i n n i n g . Y e s , it is a f u n d r a i s e r f o r A f r i c a , b u t there are also a couple of other important things w e t e a r s . . . a n d s h e w a s s a y i n g t h a t t h e r e is n o t h i n g like A i d s . . . s h e s a i d , ' W e know p o v e r t y , b u t t h i s is j u s t t e r r i b l e . W e a r e 6 J a n u a r y I F e b r u a r y