Marvelous - (Hope is Vital)

Summary

In 1998, the narrator met Prisca Maholo, a counselor who profoundly impacted their life, especially after learning about their HIV status. This pivotal encounter inspired a holistic approach to supporting women. The narrator's diverse roles in Canada, from research assistant to community expert, have allowed them to bring hope to women facing challenges. Balancing personal values with professional ethics, they strive to maintain authenticity while serving their community, seeking to merge the best of their African and Canadian experiences for the benefit of those they serve.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The narrator's life was profoundly impacted by Prisca Maholo, a counselor and activist, whom they met by chance in 1998.
• 😢 The narrator recalls the emotional pain of learning their HIV status in 1995 and the subsequent grief over their mother's mental illness and daughter's death.
• 🌈 Prisca's holistic counseling approach helped the narrator address not only HIV-related issues but also broader personal challenges.
• 🌐 After moving to Canada, the narrator engaged in various research projects, embodying multiple roles within the community.
• 💪 The narrator's interactions with women aim to instill hope, especially for those who have faced significant adversity.
• 🏡 As a woman with multiple roles, the narrator is influenced by community values and the collective nature of Zimbabwean society.
• 🤔 The narrator grapples with the challenge of balancing personal empathy with the professional detachment required by social work ethics.
• 🎩 The narrator faces the complexity of representing a diverse community, often being viewed as either a traitor or a hero depending on their role.
• 🤝 The narrator seeks to authentically support peers while maintaining professionalism, pondering the integration of African and Canadian experiences.
• 🌍 The narrator aspires to provide the best of both worlds to the community they serve, combining the insights gained from different cultural contexts.

Q & A

When did the narrator first meet Prisca Maholo?

The narrator met Prisca Maholo in 1998.

Why was the narrator originally scheduled to meet with a male counselor?

The narrator was scheduled to meet with a male counselor for post-test counseling, but he was delayed.

How did Prisca Maholo's counseling impact the narrator?

Prisca's counseling was life-saving for the narrator, making them feel loved and understood. It also shaped the way the narrator now provides support to women.

What significant events in the narrator's life did they discuss with Prisca?

The narrator discussed their HIV status, their mother's mental illness, the death of their daughter, and their anger towards God, their ex-partner, and the world.

How did the narrator's experience with Prisca influence their approach to helping others?

The experience led the narrator to adopt a holistic approach to providing support to women, considering not just their HIV status but also their other life challenges.

What roles has the narrator played in research projects after migrating to Canada?

The narrator has been a peer, service provider, community expert, research assistant, and recruiter in research projects.

What is the narrator's goal when interacting with women in their work?

The narrator aims to bring hope to women who have faced challenges and may have given up hope.

How does the narrator's identity as a Zimbabwean influence their work?

As a Zimbabwean, the narrator believes in a collective society where sharing stories becomes part of one's own story, which influences how they connect with others.

What challenges does the narrator face when balancing their personal values with professional ethics?

The narrator struggles with detaching from their personal identity due to social work values, ethics, professionalism, and boundaries.

How does the narrator feel about representing their community in high-level meetings or conferences?

The narrator feels a responsibility to bring the diverse voice of their community but acknowledges the complexity of this task and the potential for being seen as either a traitor or a hero.

What does the narrator wish to achieve in terms of combining their experiences from Africa and Canada?

The narrator wishes to integrate the best aspects of their experiences from both Africa and Canada to benefit the community they serve.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Life-Changing Encounter with Prisca Maholo

The narrator recounts a pivotal meeting with Prisca Maholo in 1998, a counselor and activist, who provided life-saving support. The narrator expresses regret for not having met Prisca earlier, in 1995, upon learning of their HIV status. The conversation with Prisca was profound, discussing personal tragedies like the narrator's mother's mental illness, the death of their daughter, and feelings of anger towards various entities. This interaction influenced the narrator's approach to providing holistic support to women. After moving to Canada, the narrator engaged in research projects, taking on various roles such as a peer, service provider, community expert, research assistant, and recruiter. These experiences allowed the narrator to bring hope to women facing challenges. The narrator identifies with多重 roles as a woman and a Zimbabwean, shaped by collective societal values. However, they also grapple with the need to detach due to professional ethics and boundaries. The narrator reflects on the dichotomy of representing a diverse community voice in high-level meetings and the challenge of balancing authenticity with professionalism. They ponder the possibility of combining the community-oriented approach from Africa with the professional experience gained in Canada to better serve the community.

Keywords

💡HIV Status

The term refers to whether a person is infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). In the script, the speaker learned about their HIV status in 1995, which marked a significant emotional and personal journey. It shaped their life and influenced how they later provided support to others.

💡Counseling

Counseling refers to professional guidance to help individuals cope with personal challenges. In the script, Prisca Maholo provided counseling to the speaker, offering emotional support that was deeply impactful. This experience became a model for how the speaker later approached helping others.

💡Holistic Approach

A holistic approach means considering the whole person, including emotional, mental, and social aspects, not just the immediate issue. The speaker reflects on how counseling with Prisca not only addressed HIV but also other deep-rooted issues, leading them to adopt this method in supporting women.

💡Community

Community refers to a group of people with shared values, culture, or experiences. The speaker identifies themselves as shaped by both their Zimbabwean community and their role within the Canadian community. They struggle to balance community expectations with professional ethics in their work.

💡Ethics and Professionalism

Ethics and professionalism are standards that guide behavior in a work or community setting. The speaker describes the tension between staying true to their community values and adhering to professional boundaries, especially in social work, where detachment is sometimes required.

💡Collective Society

A collective society values shared responsibilities, relationships, and community well-being over individualism. The speaker, coming from Zimbabwe, highlights how stories in such societies belong not just to the individual but also to the wider community, which contrasts with their professional experience in Canada.

💡Peer Support

Peer support involves people with similar experiences helping each other. The speaker has worn many hats in providing peer support, from being a counselor to acting as a community expert and researcher, inspired by their personal experiences and the help they received from Prisca.

💡Post-Test Counseling

Post-test counseling refers to the guidance provided to individuals after they receive results from an HIV test. The speaker attended such counseling but found that discussing their wider life challenges helped them confront HIV-related issues in a more meaningful way.

💡Caregiver

A caregiver is someone who provides physical, emotional, or practical support to others. The speaker identifies as a caregiver in various roles, including as a wife, mother, and friend, shaped by their values and experiences. These caregiving roles influence their approach to supporting women in their community.

💡Research Participation

Research participation refers to involvement in scientific or social studies. The speaker participated in various research projects, assuming different roles such as peer support worker, service provider, and recruiter. This experience gave them insights into women's challenges and opportunities to offer hope.

Highlights

Meeting Prisca Maholo, a counselor and activist, was a life-changing experience.

Prisca provided post-test counseling and emotional support.

The narrator wished they had met Prisca earlier upon learning their HIV status.

The narrator shared personal struggles including family illness and loss.

Talking about personal issues helped the narrator deal with HIV-related issues.

The experience shaped the narrator's approach to providing support holistically.

The narrator participated in various research projects in Canada.

The narrator's interactions aim to bring hope to women facing challenges.

The narrator's多重角色 as a woman and caregiver influence her approach.

The narrator values the collective nature of her Zimbabwean society.

Ethics and professionalism sometimes conflict with the narrator's community values.

The narrator is expected to represent her community's diverse voice.

The narrator grapples with the dichotomy of being seen as a traitor or a hero.

The narrator seeks to give hope authentically while maintaining professionalism.

The narrator desires to combine the best of her experiences from Africa and Canada.

The narrator serves her community for the benefit of those she supports.

Transcripts

In 1998 I met Prisca Maholo

a counselor and an activist

by coincidence. I was scheduled to meet with a male counselor

who was delayed along the way and Prisca offered

to provide counselling to me that day. Talking to this vibrant woman was

life saving

I felt loved and understood

I wished I had talked to her in 1995 when I got to know about my HIV status

I can remember vividly how I cried

and cried. Narrating the story of my mom who had mental illness

the death of my daughter and the anger I had towards God,

my ex partner, and the world. Although I was there for post-test counselling,

talking about my other issues helped me deal with HIV related issues

This experience shaped the way I provide support to women now

from a holistic approach. After migrating to Canada

I participated in research projects, wearing different hats

as a peer, service provider, community expert, research assistant,

and recruiter. My interaction with the women gives me the opportunity

to bring hope to women who might have given up hope through

challenges that they faced throughout their journeys. As a woman,

I am a caregiver, a wife, a mother,

a sister, and a friend, who is shaped by values

community values. As a Zimbabwean,

I have those things that I believe. I come from a collective

society so if someone shares

their story with you, it's not just their story, it becomes part of your story.

But social work values force me to detach

from who I am. I am bound by ethics,

professionalism, and boundaries.

When I am at high level meetings or conferences, I am expected to bring the voice of my community

but the voice of my community is diverse

I can never wear all the hats at the same time

I can either be seen as a traitor

or a hero depending on what hat I'm wearing that day

It leaves me with the question, how then do I continue giving hope to my peers

in an authentic way like Prisca did for me

at same time maintaining the professionalism.

Why can't we have the best of both worlds

the experience that I had in Africa and the experience that I have now in Canada

for the benefit of the community that I serve.