HIV
We Are Together
Settling down at home for a rare moment of catching up with Channel 4 on Demand to watch a film that I had missed called ‘We are Together’, I was expecting to once again be shown the plight and devastation experienced by the 1.5 million orphans living in South Africa. But not this time, instead I was taken on a journey of hope, of working to make your life and that of your family and community more fulfilling and uplifting.
This is a remarkable and moving story of a group of children who use music to overcome hardship and loss. The children allow us into their world with an honesty that grips you from the opening of the film. They live at an orphanage named AGAPE and singing is at the centre of their lives. Alongside this is the tragedy and pain of seeing family and friends dying from AIDS. In spite of their sadness, they are actively encouraged to pursue and achieve goals in their own lives. They dream of making a CD with the aim to raise money for AGAPE and to help more children like themselves.
Singing is a part of everyday life and as Zwai, a South African musician, says in the film ’We South Africans sing all the time; it’s a very important part of our culture. We sing before we sleep, before we eat… when we’re happy ..when we’re sad.. when we are celebrating .. whenever we can we will sing.’
I encourage you to visit their website where you can watch the film footage and find out more of their story. You can purchase their CD and DVD and listen to the children sing whilst helping to make a difference to some of the orphans affected by HIV.
All profits from the CD are donated to help pay school fees for the children of AGAPE and to keep it running. I don’t want to spoil all the surprises for you so visit their website and click on The Story.
‘We can’t all speak at once but we can all sing together’. Enjoy.
Marcey