Building The AIAIA Bridge
It has been important for us as a world community to acknowledge the heartbreaking effects of the Coronavirus toll on our lives. As we have entered the Spring of this year, we prayerfully remember over two and a half million of our brothers and sisters around the world that have died as a result of the pandemic. There appears to be a reason to be more hopeful when we consider how privileged we are in the US to have access to the new vaccinations. It is for this reason that we need to draw closer to our brothers and sisters in the developing world that struggle to have the basic necessities of life, let alone to be hopeful for the COVID vaccinations to reach them even before next year. When considering the more infectious variants of the coronavirus that exist in South Africa, AIAIA is dedicated to being informed and prepared to assist our partnerships. This is precisely the time that we need to draw even closer to the families and friends that we have journeyed with for two decades.
For me personally, one of the most painful changes that needed to occur this year was the cancellation of our yearly delegation trip to be with our families in South Africa. Without exception, we have been privileged for the last twenty years to go back home and have time with our "African cousins." It has been my honor to experience the joy in seeing several hundred men, women and children travel from their familiar lives in the US to make a human connection in a part of the world that initially seemed to be so very far away. The "bridge" that has been lovingly built by our delegates, as well as our financially supportive donors is the organization that we have all come to know as Arm In Arm In Africa.
A sentiment that has been repeated countless times throughout history is the belief that "absence makes the heart grow fonder." I am not certain that anyone actually knows for sure who put words to this human feeling. The only nuanced difference in the meaning of this expression that I could discover are the added words: "what would not I give to wander where my old companions dwell?"
In this year of pandemic, we have all learned quite a bit more about separation anxiety and what it means to not be with our people. I would suggest that the lesson learned is to allow our hearts to grow fonder for everyone in our life, without exception. I want to thank past delegates that have stepped forward to help build the AIAIA bridge. I want to thank our donors who have provided the heavy financial lifting that continues to secure the ongoing work with our partnerships in South Africa. I want to thank our African "cousins" for meeting us more than halfway on this human bridge with their love and hospitality over the years. It is difficult to predict when it will be safe and prudent to consider assembling a future delegation for South Africa. Until that time arrives, we do have our memories and that is a gift that even a pandemic cannot take away.
James Cassidy
President AIAIA