News Herald October 10, 2004

PUBLISHED: October 10, 2004

In the last three years, the Rev. Frank Julian has collected cans of Ensure — 18 tons in all — and had it sent to South Africa and Botswana.

The nutritional supplement is distributed to the thousands of victims of an AIDS epidemic that has gripped the two African nations.

But, it was just in September that the pastor, an associate at Faith Christian Assembly and a home care registered nurse, as well, was able to see what was happening with his own eyes. He and nine others from the church spent 12 days in Africa accessing the impact of the mission.

"Our goal was to go into the huts, the homes, of those who've taken the Ensure for the past three years and see if it had any impact on their health," Julian said.

What Julian and his team found was that those taking the supplement are, indeed, getting stronger. They are gaining weight, and some have been able to return to work, he said.

The problem, however, is that although the shipments have been made quarterly, that's not enough to meet the need.

"They run out before more comes," he said, "and then they can lose any of the benefit they've gained."

The ministry, called Ensure for Africa. was born three years ago after Julian accompanied Faith Christ-ian's pastor, the Rev. Patrick Bossio Sr., on a mission trip to Cape Town, South Africa.

Julian thought they were there to minister the word of God, but instead, he came away with an entirely different mission, a heart full of sorrow and a fire in his soul.

"There is an ocean of pain, grief and dying there," he said.

What he saw on that first trip to the African nation were the devastating effects of an AIDS epidemic that is killing at the rate of nearly 800 out of every 1,000 men. The figures are equally startling for women, and children die at the rate of 103 per 1,000.

The sight of hundreds of freshly dug graves opened his eyes, Julian said, and he was saddened and horrified at what he saw.

"I was told that every Saturday in the small town of Gabarone, Botswana, they bury 180 people who have died of AIDS," he said.

Talking to Ruth Kqoroba, wife of Botswana's minister of education, on that first mission trip, Julian learned more about what was happening to her country.

"I asked her what I could do to help," he said. "She is a nurse like I am, doing home care for AIDS victims, so I felt this instant connection. She said, 'Send Ensure.'"

What's equally as horrific about the situation, Julian said, is the stigma attached to the disease.

"They don't even call it AIDS," he said. "People are dying and don't want to identify the disease."

He said it was just short of a miracle that people in Sephari Village in Botswana, and even the chiefs, allowed them to visit the sick in their huts.

"It was amazing," Julian said. "One chief admitted to me that he was immuno-compromised."

The team, composed of Amy Rennie, Heather Lacaria, Kathy Taylor, Grace Lacca and Tracy Karriem, all from Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital; Allen Park florist Ed Skupinski; Julieta Molina, a retired Detroit Board of Education employee; and Raymond Bucciarelli, church missions director, had the opportunity to meet Joseph Huggins, America's ambassador to Botswana, and the president of India at a state affair.

They also visited a hospital, a free medical clinic and day-care facilities and orphanages filled with children, many of whom had lost their parents to AIDS, Julian said.

"It was quite an experience," Molina said. "I've been on four other mission trips to South American countries, and I've never seen anything like this."

Rennie, a registered nurse, described the trip as "very emotional."

"As a nurse, I can be part of people's lives," she said. "Just to see how these people are living and suffering — the disease is so widespread, much worse than I expected."

Bucciarelli, who is with the Wayne County Sheriff's Department, said he found conditions there even worse than he imagined.

"I knew it was bad, but I didn't get the impact of it until I saw it," Bucciarelli said. "There are children left behind after their parents die, children with AIDS, people dealing with end-of-life issues."

He described how rows upon rows of freshly dug gravesites were waiting for the buses of mourners arriving according to a strict time line for the funerals.

It takes 52 days for a shipment of Ensure to reach its destination, so Julian had arranged for the latest to coincide with their visit. So far, they are targeting just two areas, Piertermaritzburg, South Africa, and Gabarone, Botswana.

The cans of Ensure are donated by many individuals, groups and organizations, from Girl and Boy Scouts to churches, as well as World Medical Relief in Detroit, which gives Julian its leftovers, in addition to helping prepare the cases for shipping.

It costs about $1,700 to send two tons of the life-saving supplement to Africa, Julian said. The money comes from donations, which also go toward purchasing cases of Ensure if they need to.

"I really like to receive donations of the actual cans, though," Julian said. "It's nice to know that the can you're touching is going to a child with AIDS."

Julian said he feels like Ensure for Africa is no longer "a program of one," but a team effort.

"I think others are catching the vision," he said. "I think this is going to grow."

Rennie said that when she was in Africa, she wondered if their small mission group could make a difference in the people's lives.

"I think we touched the people and made an impact on their lives," she said. "I know I brought back a huge passion for AIDS victims. Now, what we need to do is ignite passion in other people."

More information on how to help the Ensure for Africa program is available by calling Julian at Faith Christian Assembly, 1-313-928-8305, or online at www.ensureforafrica.org.