In November and December 2006, photographer Doug MacLellan traveled to The Salvation Army’s Howard Hospital in Zimbabwe at the invitation of then-Cadet (Dr.) Paul Thistle. It was a follow-up to his original trip in 2001, when MacLellan chronicled the HIV/AIDS crisis in stark black-and-white photos that were published in The War Cry.  (In the above picture six-year-old Matthew is prepared to have a trachea tube removed at the Howard Hospital)

(Cpt (Dr.) Paul Thistle looks over charts as he works in the men's ward) “I felt it was important to take a positive approach this time,” says MacLellan. “The typical AIDS story is very dramatic and emotional, but cliché. I wondered about a new way to look at an ‘AIDS in Africa’ story.”

With this change of perspective, MacLellan decided to shoot in colour. The vibrant hues of the cultural dress, the land, even the blue walls at the hospital left a strong impression. The photos were taken on the Howard Hospital grounds and during two side trips with the Home-Based Care Unit and the Mobile AIDS Unit.

MacLellan notes that the incidence of HIV/AIDS seems to be levelling off, at least in the Howard Hospital catchment area. “When people take their medicines-and many do comply with the regimen of pills, better nutrition and safe-sex approaches-they have ‘better’ lives, relatively speaking.”

MacLellan’s photos show the hospital’s work in a positive light. He notes that things in Zimbabwe are challenging from an economic point of view and many people are dispirited. Yet Captain Thistle and his staff improve the standard of living for many patients using very few resources.

“My hope is that readers of Salvationist will see the good work being done at the Howard Hospital and be inspired,” notes MacLellan. “Their donations and contributions are making a positive difference. I don’t want to gloss over the difficulties, but I also don’t want to reinforce a negative stereotype. Africa today is changing and is much different than many of us would like to believe.

“The people of Zimbabwe were very open and receptive. They gave much more to me than they received. My only hope is that I have presented them in a fair and truthful light.”

(nurses come to the aid of a man who has stumbled )Doug MacLellan would like to thank Captains Paul and Pedrinah Thistle; Mr. Chiripanhura at the Zimbabwean Embassy in Ottawa; Warren Viegas, a generous funder; Anna Galka and Alexandria MacLellan-“They are the foundations of my life and offer support that many times seems not commensurate with my contribution to them.”

More photos can be found in Salvationist, October, 2007