Rev. Christo Greyling: Well, the first moment you hear you’re HIV positive, all your dreams, all your ideals are shattered. At that stage, they couldn’t say how long you will be alive. The doctor said probably three or four years. So I was wondering, should I continue studying? Is it worthwhile? Would anybody use an HIV+ minister? Won’t they just reject you?

Whether in the pulpit or the pews, HIV affects all of Africa’s churches. But most suffer in silence.

And only when I started having my first opportunistic infections in 1991, 92, we decided OK perhaps this is the time to go public and use the opportunity as a witness opportunity. But we were really scared. I was in a congregation, ministering in a congregation situation and I was worried that the congregation members are going to reject me, be afraid of me, stigmatize me, push me out of it. But it was really amazing. I really experienced that the Christians in my congregation were there for em. I very often asked myself if it would have been different if I had contracted HIV in a sexual relationship, the they would have been so supportive.

Predominantly transmitted through sex in Africa - AIDS is shrouded in many layers of shame.

Jaco Fouche: I said why not test me? I mean I don’t have a problem. I’m white or all my girlfriends that I chose there’s nothing wrong with them. And I tested HIV positive. And the first thing that went through my mind was who will I tell? What will people think of me?

He was married to Antoinette for two weeks before he told her his secret. One week later she found out she too was HIV+.

Antoinette Fouche: And when they diagnosed me as HIV was crying my eyes out. The counsellor was patting me on the back and saying it will be fine. But what they don’t realize is you don’t think it’s going to be fine when you sit there. And I walked out feeling strange. I mean, I am a young person. I was 19 at the time. You never think about a terminal illness that you will have for life, that will probably kill you and it’s definitely changed me. But as you said, I mean, I actually have forgiven him for that. Because I just placed myself in his shoes and I asked myself, what would I have done if I was in the same position? To have met somebody that I love and to tell that person something so almost terrible and it would be very difficult so I understand and because of that, I forgive him for that.

Through forgiveness, the Fouches found their calling.

Jaco Fouche: We wanted people around us to know our status so we don’t have to hid anything. So we can be free people. And we started in small groups, just telling our families, friends around us. and we saw instead of rejection we actually got acceptance. People understand it. In some way, we can all relate because we are humans. And we said, well this is not too bad. We can do this. And one person heard of us, and then a church invited us and then some other people invited us. and it just grew and grew and grew into a ministry.

AIDS affects all classes, all colours and all age groups.

Especially children.

Capt. Erika Clifton-Parks has witnessed probably the darkest side of AIDS. She founded the South African police service’s abuse desk and specializes in crimes against children.

The children, the ages have gone much younger, they’re between the ages of four and eight, because of the myth that if you rape a virgin you would pass the virus from your body to the child’s. So the rape stats have shot up and it’s younger and younger children that are being abused.

Most perpetrators are family members and courts are slow in bringing justice - if at all.

Sill, she deals with up to 20 cases a week.

I Sit and play with them in my office and I use this bear. It’s called Bobbie the burden bearing bear. So with Bobby they can explain what has happened with them or whether it was anal penetration. And also the child will use it as a protector for them and a comforter while they are taken through the court proceedings and the hospital. So it’s sitting and playing with them until they open up and tell you what has happened.

The rape kit is when I take a kid to the hospital. so you keep the child occupied with a book, crayons, sometimes they draw the perpetrator and the things that he might have done to them. Pads if there has been any anal or vagina tears. Tissues, little panty because the panty has been taken for our police report- or little underpants when it’s a little boy, and then we also give them a little sweet, and a cold drink to keep them comfortable at hospital until they get treated. And then also wet wipes because there’s no place clean themselves after a medical examination. And then a brown bag to put our exhibits in so we don’t destroy any evidence.

The existence of child rape is evidence of a great evil. 

Clifton Parks says witchdoctors are to blame for encouraging the rape of innocents.

A police department prayer team goes into prayer each time they bring in a child.

I’d like to see the churches more involved. Playing with these kids, looking after them, praying for them, and just realizing that they should look after their own in their own community and not say that it’s not their problem because it is their problem.

Prayer is one of the greatest prescriptions for hope.

Uganda’s first lady Janet Museveni was confronted with the horrible face of AIDS.

She said it has brought her nation to its knees.

Well you see Uganda had a turbulent past. We had been through a war, many families had separated, many people had died. The country had been shattered literally. And people prayed, the poured into churches and prayed throughout the night an they called on God and God answered their prayers and the political situation changed in Uganda. And people became more hopeful and there was happiness and hope. And then all of a sudden AIDS came in and they just had to go back to prayer. They just had to start praying again. They just starting crying again and wondering why now, why AIDS? But that hope, the hope that had changed the political turbulence, we had that hope and believed God would hear. But we didn’t know what to do with AIDS, we didn’t know what to do with a disease that had no cure, we didn’t know what to do.

Her newly elected husband Yoweri Museveni acted fast - and soon headed up what would become Africa’s most successful AIDS campaign.

The strategy emphasised biblical values, sexual purity and openness in talking about AIDS.

A decade later the HIV infection rate fell from 18.5% to 6.1%.

Initially many countries didn’t want to talk about AIDS in their own countries. Because they thought it would disrupt or discourage tourism and things like that. But what my husband said what was important was to save the people rather than save the economy because there is no economy if there is no people. But eventually people saw that talking about AIDS was really very crucial. And now we get many delegations coming from other African countries to come to Uganda to learn from our experiences.

Efforts are ongoing to stem the destruction of AIDS

We are a praying nation. That we pray like we are blind national. We just wait on God to lead us through this darkness. But we also work like we have no God, and those two I believe had made this difference.

When we return find out how one Canadian family is touching the lives of hundreds of AIDS orphans in Thailand. 

Eight year old Nikki Rideout loves to shower her parents faces with kisses.

Like most girls she craves their attention and love.

But she is not like most girls.

Nikki has full blown AIDS.

Roy and Avis Rideout of Newfoundland have devoted much of their life as missionaries to Thailand. 

Little did they know when they met Nicki seven years ago that their biggest mission was to come.

It was a Monday morning that I walked into that room that they had set up for kids with AIDS. When I looked down on the floor on a bamboo mat, there must have been 5 or 6 kids there - there was a year old, two year old, three year old... They couldn’t sit and they couldn’t crawl. And they had little spindly little legs and bloated stomachs, diarrhea, ear infections.. It was a sight I didn’t like to see. But I worked in a refugee camp for a year and I had seen a lot of people dying from starvation. I saw mass grave dug and hundreds of kids bulldozed in graves, I saw that but this was different. And I walked in and I sat on the floor an I knew somebody had to do something.

The first thing Avis did was to touch the babies. 

I reached out my hand and I saw the nannies sitting around, and they had rubber gloves on, and they had sheets prepared on the floor because the diarrhea was so sever, the sores were oozing and the smell from their breath. The infection was high...But I touched a little boy about 4 years old and I am sure that it was the first time that flesh had touched flesh with him. And his eyes just lit up like two light bulbs. And I knew that it had to be the touch that was going to bring hope. And to bring transformation in these lives.

Nicki was the first one to reach out to Avis.

I remember Nicki at 2 yrs old crawling over to me and sitting on my lap. She had no hair, her ears were infected, her smell was so bad you would have to turn your head. But there was something inside of me, it was love, it was compassion. And I held her close to my body and I could heel my heart was beating faster. Because I knew God was speaking to my heart, I knew I was going to have to do something...I went home and told my family there was a little girl in the orphanage and her name was Jerawee, in Thai and I want to bring her home. An my oldest daughter Natasha said, Mommy, she’s HIV, she’s got full blown AIDS. No one will come and visit us at our home, none of my friends at school will come if we bring an AIDS baby in our home. But I knew I had to do it, I was compelled to do it. It’s like being called as a missionary.

The first hurdle was fear.

And I woke up in the morning and she had bumped her nose and there was blood, I mean blood everywhere..And so I jumped out of bed and a heavy dark cloud came into my heart. And I was afraid. So I grabbed the sheet she was on and I walked the steps and I stopped suddenly and I said God, I can’t do this. I was afraid. I saw myself in the same shoes as I was back in the government orphanage. And I said I will not do it - remove the fear or Nicki goes back to the orphanage. And all of the sudden peace came in my heart and I put her on the floor and the sheet was full of blood and I held her close to my heart. I could see myself walking down the stairs and putting her in the bathroom with no rubber gloves, and starting to wash the blood off of her with my own hands.

Six years later Avis still doesn’t wear gloves.

Love and tenderness transformed Nicki. 

We didn’t really have a prognosis from the Thai doctors. It was obvious enough, they didn’t expect her to live, that was the prevailing attitude among doctors and nurses in the hospitals. That’s why they didn’t get the care that they needed.

The Rideout’s created Agape house - an orphanage for HIV infected babies like Nicki. 

The AIDS patients were sort of rejected and left aside. Well if we have time for them we’ll try and do something. But it’s like no point they’re going to die anyway. So that was the attitude. As a result of our ministry and what we’ve been doing that’s all changed.

All the 129 children who have passed through their doors have received tender loving care. 

If a baby is born with the HIV antibody and not the virus - there is a good chance they will become HIV negative. 

40 of the children have tested negative and gone on to be adopted. 

For others, Agape is the first and last home they’ll ever have. 

Our first year we had so many die. I felt like I wasn’t sleeping, we were constantly having funerals, rushing to the hospital. My first year was like a nightmare..But God over tese five years, God has given me something, stability in the midst of grief and sorrow. For those little ones, I feel I have kind of released that. We weep, we cry we mourn, we hear their voices for months and months after they’re gone. We hear them laugh. But I am reminded of one thing, we’re made for the glory of God. He didn’t make us to live here for a long time. And at the Agape home it’s a preparation for a better place. And if i can prepare the kids for a better place than i have got to be willing to release them and let them go. And we talk about death at Agape. We allow our kids to be in the funerals. They know they are going to die someday and that Jesus loves them, there’s a place for them, and we don’t close doors on death at Agape because death is as real as birth or as living. We’ve let 40 go and my heart is always heavy, always broken and I find myself days and days crying after funerals. I feel like I carry a heavy load.

A labour of unconditional love. 

It certainly changed our ministry. It’s changed it for the better, in that I feel all that we did n Thailand previous to starting Agape home has preparation for this. I believe the reason God brought us here to Thailand was to start Agape home and I don’t apologize for saying that.

And I believe God has allowed Nicki Rideout to come in our home, our lives, to transmit the gospel of Jesus Christ to Thailand.

Although Nicki still has AIDS she likes to talk about the future. 06:16:10

What sort of man she will marry, what career she’ll have. 

It’s the miracle of agape love. 10:03:51, 10:04:03, 10:06:13

We believe that with all our heart that Agape home in Thailand is the best place next to a family where any of these children could possibly be. The get good care, good nutrition and lots of love and affection. I tell everybody I talk to, Agape is the best medicine. The love of God, the love they receive. There is no medicine as powerful as that of love.