Selected Columns
Kaleidoscope of the Heart: Touched by a passion to help children with HIV
At the end of the last year, I had an opportunity to talk with Miwa Natori, a Japanese director at Ban Rom Sai children's home in Thailand for children with HIV.
Currently, 31 children infected with HIV through mother-to-child transmission are living at the facility located in Thailand's northern city of Chiang Mai. All these children have lost their parents to HIV/AIDS. Ten children have already died since the center was established in 1999.
One may imagine a depressing orphanage from what I've written above, but the children I saw in the photographs and video footage of Ban Rom Sai were full of energy, and the center's staff members, including Natori, are very cheerful.
I was overwhelmed by her sense of responsibility and couldn't help but admire her. Natori was laid-back, and just said: "Things just happened to turn out this way," or "Everyone helps me."
As she smiled, I stared at her to figure out what it was that made her so modest. Is it her personality, or is it the climate in Thailand?
It turned out, however, that Natori was not so relaxed when she opened the facility 10 years ago. She tried to share her future goals and plans with the staff, to which they responded with puzzled looks, according to Natori.
"Please stop talking about the future because we never know what will happen. Let's start with what we can do today," one of them said.
"They have a point," thought Natori, who then started focusing on the day-to-day life of the children, asking them if they had had breakfast yet, or wishing them a fun day with friends.
For Natori, the past decade was an accumulation of small efforts. They may not have lofty goals, but just knowing that there are people doing important jobs in a distant place like Chang Mai, and that they are even enjoying their work, warms my heart.
However, I choked up when Natori asked me: "I noticed Japanese people look increasingly lethargic every time I come back home. Why?"
We too must start something today so that Natori can tell us "They look somewhat happier than before," when she comes back to Japan next time.
Why don't we start by asking people around us: "Have you had a meal today? OK, well have a good day." (By Rika Kayama, psychiatrist)
Click here for the original Japanese story
(Mainichi Japan) January 17, 2010