by Hope for Life Worker, South Asia
When Kamal* and Sunita* first came to Shalom Clinic, a Hope for Life ministry in South Asia, they were emotionally and spiritually exhausted. Poverty, addiction and illness had taken nearly everything, and an HIV diagnosis left them fearful and alone.
Hope for Life represents SIM’s effort to support communities affected by HIV and its key drivers. In over 10 countries, Hope for Life ministries are serving in a diversity of ways, providing medical support and compassionate care, implementing development and prevention initiatives, and partnering with local churches to restore dignity and hope. Through Hope for Life the heart of the gospel is lived out: Christ-like compassion meets people in their pain and leads them toward life made whole.
Kamal a 38-year-old man-lives with his wife Sunita and their two children, a daughter and a son.
Reflecting on his childhood, Kamal recalls, “I spent my childhood in constant stress and fear. My father was the only earning member of the family, ironing people’s clothes to provide three meals a day for my mother, my four elder siblings, and me.” Poverty forced Kamal to leave school early, and tragedy struck when one of his brothers died of tuberculosis. “After his death, I had to start working in a factory that made electric bulbs to support the family,” he says softly. “My father was strict and never showed affection, but my mother always stood by me. She was my only support.”
“For the first time, someone listened and gave us comfort.”
Kamal’s mother passed away in 2008, leaving him heartbroken. “The greatest loss of my life is the loss of my mother,”
In 2010, Sunita married Kamal unaware that he was already struggling with alcoholism. “The first ten years of my marriage were a nightmare” Sunita shares. “My husband fought constantly under the influence of alcohol and couldn’t support the family. I did all the household work and struggled to maintain our poorly built house that flooded every monsoon. I was completely alone in a house full of people.”
In 2022, life took a painful turn when Kamal suddenly became seriously ill. His father and sister abandoned the family, leaving Sunita to care for him alone. After several hospital visits, a blood test finally revealed that Kamal was HIV positive, though Sunita tested negative. “It was a huge shock,” Sunita says. “A counsellor had once advised me to get him tested for HIV back in 2012, but my in-laws dismissed it. I wish I had listened.”
Referred to Shalom Clinic, the couple finally found compassion and support, and loving care. “When I came to Shalom, I was scared,” Sunita says. “But the staff cared for both of us—not just medically, but emotionally. For the first time, someone listened and gave us comfort.” Kamal’s condition improved, and after discharge, they were enrolled in Shalom’s Hope for Life Home-Based Care Program.
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