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patients could be affected because they could not receive the care that they need to prolong
their lives:
“Even going around houses helping people… it is not safe. I remember at one time we got to
this house to check for this sick boy. Inside the house there were naked men smoking dagga.
We just ran away because we were not safe... We like to see people getting well… when you
go in and out of houses looking for this person who is supposed to be taking T.B
medication…you would find people sitting and smoking, and the one you are looking for
would be among them smoking. Then you will come in and call out his name… Maybe the
person just responds by shouting at you, or he may respect you and come because of the tshirt
you are wearing. He then asks you ‘how can I help you?’ I say yes, I’m looking for so
and so, he says yes, that’s me. Then you would ask him why he no longer comes to fetch the
medication. And they will swear at you. What can you say to that? You are taught to be
patient and beg the person. Maybe you live far away and you came all the way to see that
patient on foot, because they don’t pay us anything! So you have to walk long distances to get
to the patient just one patient.” (Focus group 2, organisation B)
Volunteer caregivers dealt with these challenges by ignoring such people. They continued to
perform their work because they felt satisfied to offer their help to sick people:
“... we ignore such people because we know that there are people who need our help and
they appreciate it and that is enough for us, but it is not that we are satisfied, we also need
motivation in terms of money even just to buy things to work with like umbrellas or rain coats
to use when it is raining, some warm clothing to protect us from the cold weather, uniforms
for easy identification and even transport money.” (Focus group 3, organisation C)
For those caregivers who came across dangerous gangs in the communities, they exercised
patience with the person they were caring for and in some cases when they smelled danger
they would opt to run for their lives:
“Sometimes you can call the person aside, and see that they had been smoking dagga, they
may listen to you when you motivate them and they end up accepting to go to the clinic. The
next time you will find that the person has actually gone to the clinic to fetch their
medication. They continue taking medication. They may even come to you and say ‘thank you
my sister for helping me.” (Focus group 2, organisation B)
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