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CARING FOR THE VICTIMS OF A CRUEL VIRUS: HIV ROSCOMMON-BORN MISSIONARY IN BRAZIL, SR MARGARET HOSTY SSL, HAS BEEN CARING FOR HIV/AIDS VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS BY ANNE STAUNTON AND PAT O’SULLIVAN Sr Margaret, you were a pastoral worker in a parish without a resident priest on the outskirts of Goiania, a large city in Midwest Brazil, as part of the Sisters of St Louis missionary team. Could you tell us a little about the circumstances that led you to found an NGO in support of HIV/AIDS victims and their families 25 years ago?
I
began working with people living with HIV/ AIDS in 1993 after a good friend died as a consequence of the virus. Never in my wildest dreams had I thought of getting into such work. I’m a trained teacher and had taught in Los Angeles and even for a little while in Brazil. In the early years, I also did pastoral work in the periphery of the city where we lived. A fellow worker John (fictious name), a seminarian, became mysteriously and seriously ill. When I expressed a wish to visit him at the seminary, I sensed a reluctance and hesitancy on the part of the rector. After much insistence I finally succeeded in visiting him and he eventually told me he was HIV positive. At the time, early ‘90s, I knew very little about HIV or AIDS. Shortly after visiting John at the seminary, he was admitted to a hospital where I was able to visit him every day. My care and love for my friend enabled me to overcome my fear and lack of information. I then realised that I was not the only one who lacked information about HIV. The rector of the seminary seemed to be in the same situation! The whole experience taught me
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an awful lot. The rector, myself and so many others lacked accurate and vital information – and we are university graduates! Fear and lack of information can lead to discrimination, prejudice, and even to poor judgment and erroneous decisions. John died about three months after he was diagnosed. At the time I thought to myself “You did what you could for him… now get on with your life and the pastoral work in the parish.” However, a voice within me said “You knew almost nothing about AIDS a few months ago. You saw the discrimination that John suffered. So many are ill-informed and discriminate as a result. You need to do something about this.” And that was how I got into working with and for people living with HIV and AIDS and founded the NGO – the AAVE Group – 25 years ago.
The AAVE Centre
What are the main challenges of your service users and what are the day-to-day activities of the AAVE Centre?
Sr Margaret Hosty receiving a State award for human rights from Councillor Mauro Rubem
The service users (people infected or affected by HIV) at the AAVE Centre are all poor, unemployed or self-employed with little or no formal education. So, without a doubt their main preoccupation is how to put food on the table during these Covid times. There is constant worry about household expenses: cooking gas, rent, utility bills, medications which the state does not supply, and bus fares. At the beginning of the school year,
A voice within me said “You knew almost nothing about AIDS a few months ago. So many are ill-informed and discriminate as a result. You need to do something about this.”
