A One Hundred Percent Solution

By Joel Elman

Most people feel helpless when made aware of disasters, suffering and the loss of human life. A charitable contribution is often the best that we can do from a great distance – but we surely wonder how much of what we give actually goes to the individuals who are struggling in the tough, often unfair, trenches of life. We wonder, too, about the length of time it will take for the good that we want to do to get transformed into action on the ground and in the lives of the afflicted. Yes, charitable organizations and governments do good work, but, and by definition, they have significant expenses and overhead, and time-consuming procedures – that must be funded by a portion of received contributions. I think that, in some cases anyway, there is a way around this. Please read on.

In a number of African countries it is no longer polite to ask what someone did over the weekend because it was likely that he or she attended one or more funerals for AIDS victims – weekend after weekend. When someone takes an unscheduled day off work, it is assumed that he or she attended a funeral for yet another AIDS victim. If no excuse is offered, polite folks don't inquire. The real face of AIDS is death when risky sexual behavior is common, and when competent and effective educational and health services and affordable medicines are unavailable. And, the stigma of contracting AIDS is often a living death sentence, via ostracism, so the afflicted try to mask the symptoms for as long as they can – until it is too late to do anything constructive.

Many AIDS orphans are being cared for by their grandparents – a stunning reversal of traditional expectations which, not long ago, envisioned elderly parents and grandparents being cared for by their children and grandchildren. The current caretakers and children do the best they can with what they have, which is often woefully inadequate.

My daughter and granddaughter live in Swaziland, Africa, and are active, with close friends, in providing commercial opportunities for local women who are the primary providers for many children (their own and others'), many of whom are AIDS orphans. The women make and sell handicrafts on the streets of nearby towns. One of the items they make is an AIDS Awareness/Concern tag – of artfully woven beads.

Each tag takes more than an hour to make. When one is sold for the equivalent of a dollar or so, the proceeds are transformed into necessities for the maker and those for whom she cares. I bought a quantity of tags at one time (through my daughter) – a modest windfall for a group of needy and responsible women, each of whom, on average, cares for about eight individuals.

The tags are well-made and pretty. They can be pinned to handbag straps, jackets, caps, etc. They actually look like designer logos' but they symbolize a human catastrophe. I am selling these tags for $5.00 each. All the proceeds go directly and immediately to the women who made them. I do not wish to recover my acquisition cost. Not one penny is deducted for any reason – not for postage, telephone, travel, supplies – nothing. Period. Every tag that I sell, with the help of caring friends, puts the total proceeds in the hands of African women who need all the help they can get. Five dollars isn't a lot of money, but when one has few resources and many responsibilities, it can make a truly vital difference.

If you, or someone you know, would like to purchase a tag, please contact me via e-mail at squarf@bellsouth.net and I will provide a mailing address to which you can send a check. A tag (or tags) will be mailed to you upon receipt of payment. No government or formal organization is involved in this effort.