In this modern world, HIV remains a fact of life. There are some Zoe working-group members that are HIV positive. I understand that the treatment to keep it in check is covered by the national health insurance of several African countries in which Zoe operates, but there are still challenges. The primary one is social stigma, but there’s also the difficulty, sometimes, of getting transport to whatever clinic is administering the treatment. (Those two things might be related, since you might not want to just pop down to your local village pharmacy to pick up a bottle of pills that can only have one use.)

Zoe ensures that each group member is tested and they get what they need to stabilize themselves, and it’s all handled discretely.

There was one last visit we made to the business of a 2nd-year group member that we had intended to make on Day Three, but ran out of time for. (Running out of time is par for the course on a Zoe trip, I understand — when you go, your days will be long and full, as they should be, so be prepared.)

This young man has a tiny shop nestled in an alley buried in downtown Arusha. And when I say “downtown Arusha”, I mean the part that is full to the brim with hustle, not the more-upscale Central Business District (which has still got plenty of hustle, but in nicer buildings). The alley itself was its own kind of amazing: it started off a regular alley between buildings (one of which is a hotel), and then somebody decided it was big enough to put a row of three-foot-deep shops protected by roll-up metal doors along one side, so now it’s barely wide enough to walk down straight-shouldered, and if you meet someone going the other way, you both have to turn sideways to pass. In spite of the density in this part of the city, there were no unpleasant aromas (unlike, say, on some days on Franklin St. in Chapel Hill). In fact, the hotel started cooking lunch, I think, and by the time I was done, I was ready for some onion-and-bok-choy soup, or whatever it was.

But I digress. The young man (whose name I didn’t get, unfortunately; although someone may correct me later) sells a variety of things including jewelry and creative wall hangings he makes using plastic utensils. Here’s a picture of him, with Claudine (our chief facilitator) listening to a question from one of us to translate to him:

(That glass case was sticking out into the alley a little. I think it must be on wheels or something and he just pushes it out when he rolls up the door.)

One of the questions was: “Since you’re buried so deep in this alley [he really was at least three storefronts down], how do you get business?”

And the answer was twofold:

1. Social media advertising.
2. He goes out and stands on the street, drumming up business.

These Zoe “kids” never cease to amaze me. I hope I never get blasé about them.