AIDS and poverty. Poverty and AIDS. One doesn’t cause the other, but for children and families living in extreme poverty, AIDS is especially devastating.

Several factors multiply the devastation caused by HIV/AIDS in developing countries.

One is the lack of prevention education.

Another is the high cost of treatment and the difficulty of getting the lifesaving medicinal tablets that travel 10,000 miles to travel that last mile, into the hands of the people who need them.

To travel beyond the clinic and into the slum. To travel down the dusty roads in the rural areas. And up the hills and down into the valleys to the out-of-the-way places.

Other factors of poverty contributing to the incidence of HIV/AIDS include:

• poor health facilities
• communication and transportation difficulties
• unstable governments
• the prevalence of environmental diseases

Currently, less than 10 percent of HIV-positive children in need of treatment are being treated.

This year the World AIDS Day global focus is on zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.

Which is a big deal when you consider that more than 6,800 new HIV infections occur daily, worldwide, and more than 5,700 people die of AIDS each day.

But beyond the death and physical illness, among the many challenges facing people living with HIV/AIDS are the stigma and discrimination that come with it.

People living with HIV/AIDS in extreme poverty are still feared, avoided and ostracized. People who overcome their fears and get tested for HIV are often still afraid to speak out and educate or advocate for others – which is why we have this blog post.

AIDS and poverty. Poverty and AIDS. If you care about releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name, then that means you should care about fighting AIDS.

So get out there and fight.

Do one thing today (World AIDS Day), one thing with purpose, one thing to help the world get to zero and bring some glee to a child.

Sources: www.childinfo.org, www.unaids.org, www.unicef.org

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

At night when no one was watching and the guard had been bribed, Rose, her four children and her husband would huddle together in one of the stalls of the local market to sleep. Rose and her husband were HIV-positive, and their health was getting worse and worse.

With no jobs and no rent money, they spent a year homeless in the chilly Rwandan nights.

“We lived in the market for a year while bribing the market guard not to send us out until a friend of my husband rented a tiny house for us. The house was so tiny that later my husband’s coffin could not fit.”

Rose’s husband passed away in 2004 from HIV-related illnesses, leaving her and her children in an even more desperate situation.

“I did not have even 100 Rwandan francs (U.S. $0.17) with children to feed and no source of income. My biggest concern was where we would leave our children as I watched my and my husband’s health waste away.”

But at this lowest point in their lives, a local church, a Compassion partner, intervened. The church was sponsoring children in need, and Aliane, one of Rose’s four children, was sponsored.

According to center staff member Sebazima, Aliane’s health was in critical condition when she was first registered.

“She was very weak and sick. She had a big swelling on her face, which was later diagnosed as tuberculosis of the jaw. Almost all of her teeth were decayed.”

The child development center helped Aliane get medical attention, including a test to find out if she was suffering from the same virus that killed her father. She was.

“It is from such biting poverty and nakedness that Compassion gathered my life and restored hope, not only for Aliane, but for my entire family,” says Rose.

Aliane and her mother were able to receive antiretroviral drugs, along with nutritional supplements such as milk, fish and rice to keep them strong while taking the medicine.

Once Rose’s health had improved, she received money to start a small business. She had experience in embroidering, so she bought an embroidering machine to start a sewing business.

Rose was skilled, and she received many requests to make school sweaters for children, including a contract to make sweaters for Compassion-sponsored children.

Since that time, Rose’s business has blossomed. With her profits, she has bought four more sewing machines and employs workers to meet the increasing demand for her sweaters.

Rose has also been able to buy a four-room house for her family and business, along with a piece of land where she is planning to plant a vegetable garden.

Young Aliane is now 15 years old and in her first year of secondary school. She is one of the brightest students in her class and likes chemistry and math.

“Compassion got me when I was very, very poor. They registered me and took me to school. They paid my fees, gave me shoes, and blessed me with a wonderful sponsor. We didn’t have a house but now we are in our own home. My mum had one sewing machine, but now we have many. I used to be very sick, but now I am okay. I know I shall live long like everyone else who is not HIV-positive.”

Aliane’s siblings also now have hope for their future. Rose has managed to send her other three children to school with the profits from her sewing business.

With tears, Rose says, “Compassion added days to my life and enabled me to have a home for my children. They have stood by me, comforted me, and given me spiritual and moral support. I can only pray a blessing to the entire family of Compassion.”

Rose, who once slept in a cold market stall with no hope other than death, is now able to provide for her family, bring jobs to her community, and a message of hope to all she encounters.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

Today is a solemn day of reflection – World AIDS Day, a time set aside to bring global attention to the devastation of this silent killer.

At Compassion, World AIDS Day is also a day of gratitude for caring friends like you who have so generously given to ease the suffering, in Jesus’ name, of the AIDS-affected children and families we serve together.

It is my privilege to provide you with a downloadable report that details the effects of your compassion on the lives of children impacted by AIDS.

Thank you for taking to heart the Bible’s command in 1 John 3:18 to “not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

You are bringing the light of Christ’s love into the lives of those who truly need it the most. May God richly bless you!

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

Today is World AIDS Day. As I prepared to write this post, I read through tons of articles, documents, and books about HIV and AIDS. And I was struck by:

• the amount of information that is readily at my fingertips.
• the number of lies and misconceptions that are floating around about the subject.

Image courtesy of worldaidsday.org

Today, I’d like for you to take a step out of your cultural perspective and into a life in sub-Saharan Africa, into the lie of poverty. Imagine you are a young mother in Tanzania. Your father has just died – and you know why.

AIDS has claimed his life, but your family is too ashamed to tell your neighbors this. Instead, you tell the neighbors that he died from malaria.

On top of that, you’re scared because you and your 2-year-old son lived in the family hut with him. Hundreds of thoughts cross your mind: “Do I have AIDS? I’ve eaten food after my father and I know I’ve hugged him many times. Will I die? I don’t think there is a treatment for AIDS.”

Instead of going to a clinic to get tested, you live in fear of what might be. After all, getting tested is seen to be shameful among those in your community.

What troubles me the most about this “story” is that it’s not fake. There are potentially millions of young mothers going through this situation right now.

They believe the lies that poverty tells about HIV and AIDS.

• HIV testing is unreliable.
• HIV can be spread by sharing food or hugging an affected individual.
• HIV is transmitted by mosquitoes.
• An HIV-positive mother cannot have children.
• HIV only affects drug users.
• If an individual is receiving treatment for HIV or AIDS, he or she can’t spread the virus.

We can easily educate ourselves with books, the Internet, visits to the doctor, etc. However, these resources aren’t as readily available to those in the developing world surviving on less than $1.25 a day. The truth about HIV is that it’s a preventable and treatable disease.

So today, I have a very short to-do list for you: Do something to spread awareness about the truth of HIV and AIDS.

It’s a pretty simple task. Here are a few places that’ll help you get started:

• AIDS.gov
• ONE.org
• WorldAIDSCampaign.org
• WorldAIDSDay.org

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

Nineteen-year-old Andrew grew up knowing many sorrows. Neither of his parents were there for him. He saw his father beat and throw insults at his mother in a drunken stupor. He watched his mother withdraw and disappear from their home for days on end, leaving him and his younger sister Rose on their own.

“Sometimes both Dad and Mom would go away and leave us alone, so we would go to the street to beg friends for food. After getting food we would go to our grandparents’ home. But when Dad didn’t find us home, he’d beat Mom and demand for us so she always took us back.”

Going home was the most painful thing for Andrew and Rose. They hated the violence. Andrew soon got fed up and went to live with his grandparents. But Rose stayed at home.

They believed that their mother often went to work in distant places, but the children learned that she was having an affair.

In 1997, Andrew’s father died of AIDS. His mother had just given birth to a baby girl who was HIV-positive, but his mother was not aware of because she did not know that she was HIV-positive. The family was living in a rented house at the time and hardly had money for survival.

Andrew’s mom earned very little from selling secondhand clothes. His father had been a mechanic who had spent most of his hard-earned money in bars.

A ray of hope shined on them a year later when the church near their home began a partnership with Compassion. Luckily for Andrew, his mother took him to the church and he was registered. This changed his life.

He learned that God had a big plan for his life and many other life-changing lessons. For example, he used to bathe once a week until he learned the importance of bathing. The center staff also gave him soap and vaseline, which he never had at home.

More importantly, they gave him love and helped him see his potential. The center staff helped him discover and develop his talent in art. Their influence paid off, and today Andrew has a small business making and selling sculptures.

“The child development center has helped me to have a positive attitude towards work. I didn’t only study fine art but also learned to use it to get income. For example, during holidays, I make artistic designs on wood. I started this business in 2007 when we had little income at home.”

One sculpture goes for about $1.30. Andrew also learned how to use a computer and as such earns income typing work for university students.

Since Andrew’s father passed on, his mother had not checked her HIV status. One day staff from the church’s Child Survival Program organized HIV/AIDS sensitization training for caregivers and encouraged them to learn their status.

Andrew’s mother went for the test and, alas, she had the disease. When she tested her last born, the child was also HIV- positive.

The situation back home was difficult. The mother did not have enough money to look after the family. Consequently, she left home to stay with the man with whom she had an affair. She sent both her daughters to stay with their father’s family, a decision Andrew was against because those relatives were not supportive.

Shortly afterward, Andrew’s mother came home. Her health had deteriorated. Andrew pleaded with her to let his sister come back from their father’s family home. Sadly, by the time his mother agreed to this, Rose was pregnant and said she had been raped!

Andrew’s mother developed low blood pressure. Andrew turned to the center staff, who had now become his friends. They helped take his mother to hospital, where she stayed until she passed away in October 2009.

“I felt overwhelmed and went and talked to the staff at the center, and they assured me that they would stand by me.

“They started giving my pregnant sister nutritional foods like eggs and milk. They also gave our youngest sister supplementary foods. I knew I was not alone in this.”

Rose later gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

Andrew has become compassionate to others.

“In my culture, if the man doesn’t bring dowry to the woman’s parents, the children don’t count. But the way the center staff and my grandparents have treated me made me want to be compassionate.”

Andrew is now looking ahead with hope. His dream is to become a lawyer so that he can help the poor. Having given his life to Christ on his 12th birthday, he is passionate about the Lord and also wants to start a Christian foundation to help children realize their potential.

He also hopes to revive an abstinence club, which he is part of but which has been on the decline. He believes that one day he is going to make a better father and husband than his father ever was.

Compassion has changed his life and he is very grateful for all the love, care and support he has received.

“Sponsors have had a great impact into our lives and have supported us in many ways. Really, we could have died. I urge them not to feel tired when they are helping us. I know that God will bless them. I’d like to give the sponsors this verse — Lamentations 3:22-24. It inspires me a lot.”

Andrew grins as he looks into the distance, as if peering into a brilliant future that is his for the taking.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

This is the home of Amina, a toddler enrolled in the local Child Survival Program (CSP). At the back of the homestead lies waste from the nearby kitchen. On the other side of the home are thick bushes of indigenous trees.

As the CSP specialist visited the mother, mosquito bites could be noted on the face of the child. Throughout the session, the TEEEE! TEEEE! sound of mosquitoes could be heard.

In some countries, mosquitoes are just nuisance, but in Riaciina, mosquitoes pose a deadly threat. Mosquito-borne malaria is the major killer disease in the area.

Riaciina village lies in the semi-arid part of Kenya on the extreme southern slopes of the largest mountain in Kenya, Mount Kirinyaga. The occupants are mainly the Ambeere and the Akaamba people whose primary work is farming and fishing.

On the lower side of the community lies the River Tana, the longest river in Kenya. The areas surrounding the river are dumpy and bushy – a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The infestation of the parasites is especially heavy along the riverbanks during rainy season.

Community members cannot escape the mosquitoes, as this is their only water source. Poor sanitation and disposal of kitchen wastes has also increased the mosquito breeding areas. The area has high maternal and infant mortality rates due to malaria-related complications.

According to a report from a nearby dispensary, an estimated 11 percent of mothers die before childbirth, while about 20 percent of children die before 5 years of age due to severe malaria. Lack of adequate food due to poverty, especially during the dry season, and malnutrition have led to low immunity. A survey by the local health officials shows that there has been an increase in the number of malaria cases and deaths reported in the previous year.

The living standard of the community members is low. Many children rarely attend school and the majority of adults are illiterate. Over 70 percent of the entire adult population is jobless. Those who find casual jobs bring home an average of $1.25 per day. This amount of money cannot provide for a large family’s daily meal.

An average mosquito net, which can greatly reduce cases of malaria, costs $3.25. The caregivers cannot afford to buy mosquito nets for all their children.

AIDS is also on the rise in the community. The pandemic has left many children either homeless or under the care of their aged grandparents. These children are exposed to malaria infection since the poor caregivers either cannot afford or have no knowledge of the importance of using insecticide treated mosquito nets (ITNS). Due to their illiteracy, the caregivers have no basic knowledge on malaria preventive measures either.

More than 50 percent of the malaria-associated deaths in the region are the result of less effective antimalarial drugs, poor management and improper diagnosis, and lack of knowledge by the primary caregivers on the importance of early disease interventions.

Some villagers use indigenous plants to create herbal remedies for the treatment of malaria. The herbs and leaves are boiled to form a colored liquor. They have no knowledge on actual dosages; therefore, most of those using the drug are referred to main hospitals with complicated severe malaria. Those who cannot afford transport to main hospitals die as a result.

In 2008, little Amina was admitted to the hospital twice with severe malaria. As a Compassion-assisted child, she was able to receive much-needed treatment and her medical bills were covered by the program. Through malaria education, provision of mosquito nets and removal of the nearby bushes, the child is now healthy and free from malaria.

Tragically, Amina’s sister was not so fortunate.

In 2007, Amina’s elder sister Joyce was 3 years old when she contracted malaria. Joyce had been running a fever and was very weak. Her mother, Agnes, took her to a nearby dispensary. The child was unconscious; her body temperature was high and she had severe febrile convulsions.

According to Agnes, Joyce’s initial treatment was a traditionally prepared herbal remedy that lacked exact doses. Agnes collected herbs and administered them to her daughter without knowing that it would be the last time little Joyce would ever drink the herbal medicine.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s guidelines for the integrated management of childhood illnesses, the child had severe malaria and therefore required urgent referral to a hospital. The family could not afford transport to the far distant hospital. The nearby Kenyan dispensary lacked facilities, so the helpless child died in the hands of her heartbroken mother.

This is one of the many stories in which children die of a disease that could otherwise have been prevented. Despite the tragic loss of her older daughter Joyce, Agnes is grateful that Amina is growing strong and no longer attacked by malaria.

The difference in Amina’s case was the presence of Compassion.

Our CSP staff members work tirelessly, in line with the local health officials, to ensure that the mosquito-breeding places are eradicated. Compassion strives towards this goal so that no other mothers suffer the loss of a child, as Agnes did.

The education by CSP staff on the importance of clearing the nearby bushes, use of treated mosquito nets (ITNS), use of insecticides and early interventions has made progress in reducing malaria in the region. In addition to families enrolled in the Child Survival Program, this information has also been passed to other community members.

During the CSP home-based trainings, the visiting neighbors are never left out. The use of compost pits as advocated by CSP has ensured proper disposal of kitchen waste, minimizing the number of mosquito breeding areas.

The CSP training on malaria is also extended to the pregnant mothers. Malaria is a deadly disease that has severe effects on the growing fetus. Mothers severely hit by the disease have low birth weight babies or even stillbirths as associated with plasmodia in the placenta.

Since malaria has become resistant to most of the common drugs, the government has introduced other strong antimalarial drugs. The drugs are quite efficient in the control of the disease, but are rarely affordable. The use of a sulfur drug (fansidar) during pregnancy has reduced the number of malaria cases among the CSP pregnant mothers.

Our Child Survival Program has changed the lifestyles of many families in Riaciina. A survey by the CSP staff at the end of 2009 showed that:

• More than 90 percent of the community members had compost pits where kitchen wastes are deposited and burned.
• The training on modern methods of farming has led to proper utilization of the available land; most of the bushes where mosquitoes once thrived are now cleared.
• The malaria morbidity and mortality rate among children under 5 years old is now going down progressively.

Malaria has plagued humankind since ancient times and is still a significant threat to half of the world’s population; 3.3 billion people living in 109 countries are at risk of contracting the disease. Estimates suggest that malaria afflicts between 350 and 500 million people every year. In addition, as many as 30,000 visitors to tropical countries are infected annually.

April 25 is a day of unified commemoration of the global effort to provide effective control of malaria around the world. This year’s World Malaria Day marks a critical moment in time. The international malaria community has less than a year to meet the 2010 targets of delivering effective and affordable protection and treatment to all people at risk of malaria, as called for by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon.

(Excerpt from rollbackmalaria.org)

- Counting Malaria Out: World Malaria Day 2010 Resources

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

“You have been tested positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the micro-organism that causes the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).”

When the doctor announced the results, a mood of gloom and despair descended on Zainabu. She did not know where to go or what to do.

“It seemed like my life and the livelihood of my children had been cut, since they all depended on me.”

Looking for a shoulder to cry on, Zainabu wondered whom to inform or talk to. Her family and the community had no place for HIV-positive people. “I am an abomination,” Zainabu thought to herself.

Zainabu has had a difficult life. Harsh living conditions and extreme poverty left her trying to sell fried cassava and sometimes exchanging sex for money to support her family. This is how she contracted HIV, all in the name of providing for her young family.

Sadly, Zainabu’s story is not an uncommon one in Kenya. The prevalence of HIV among Kenyans ages 15-64 is 7.1 percent, which means about 1.4 million people live with HIV (Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation – Kenya World AIDS Day Address,  Dec. 1, 2009).

When Zainabu learned she was HIV-positive, she stayed in denial for some time. She came to grips with her situation when Compassion child development center staff members visited her home during their routine home visits and noticed her ill health. She then had the opportunity to disclose her HIV status.

The staff came to her help and encouraged her to think about life, and began to help her develop goals for living positively. It was during this period that she was given access to health facilities and connected to a doctor who advised her to join support groups and disclose her status.

“After long soul searching and prayer, I joined a local support group and disclosed my status publicly. After disclosing my status, I felt relieved. It was the best medicine for my disease. A new sense of hope arose in my spirit. A dawn of a better future emerged with high determination and commitment to face the disease head on. My anguish and fear were all gone, I could now break the silence, all because Compassion cared for me through the church and the access to health facilities.”

Zainabu joined Jipe Moyo Support Group, an initiative supported by the child development center which educates its members on HIV and AIDS. It also empowers family and community members with knowledge of long-term support and care, and raises acceptability of People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHAS) by family and community for stigma reduction. Jipe Moyo in Swahili means “take heart, take courage”

As a leader in the group, Zainabu has been very resourceful in the startup of a unique approach to helping PLWHAS. Through community education and meetings, she has helped ensure that other members of the community protect and give support to PLWHAS.

Zainabu’s CD4 count has improved significantly, and she has discovered hope and inspires hope in others suffering from the same condition. She now earns her living as a counselor helping other women and families to protect themselves against HIV and AIDS. She also has a small-scale business selling planting seeds and cereals.

Zainabu thanks the pastor and Compassion for allowing her to be the beneficiary of a revolving loan fund, where she got Kshs 5,000 to start the business.

“Since I joined Jipe Moyo Support group, I have gained a lot of knowledge and experience on new strategies for education on HIV/AIDS and therapeutic nutrition for People Living With HIV/AIDS. I have also acquired a lot of spiritual, psychological, emotional and economic support from the group.”

Zainabu admits that she has sometimes wondered whether proclaiming her status has put her at risk of ridicule and discrimination. However, she takes it in stride and still commits herself to protecting children and caregivers against HIV and AIDS in the center. And she says that her experience with HIV has increased her faith in God.

“I was running a race moving full speed, when suddenly, Wham! I hit a wall of HIV/AIDS. I was tempted to quit, turn back in defeat, perhaps fall down and die. But I didn’t.

“I have learned a lifelong lesson that when you feel the worst, when failure is breathing down your neck, look up and reach out to hope as never before. Believe in God and like dawn in the morning, light will come pouring in. You will see a breakthrough by breaking the silence. All you have to do to speak the Word is to have faith in the Word of God and in your God-given potentials.

“Breaking the silence and disclosing one’s status is the greatest challenge. I am not going to tell you it’s easy. The truth is, it is tough. Nevertheless, pushing on through the tough times is inevitable if one is to have a breakthrough.

“Once that happens, you will never be the same. You only need to take a step of courage and break the silence to make a never dying, never-quitting champion out of you.”

In her situation, through the assistance of church staff, Zainabu has brought light to the community. The development center offers free medical camp and voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) services. It also invites people in the community who are HIV-positive and are happy to speak to encourage others about their status.

Staff members raise awareness about the need for antiretroviral therapy medicines for people with HIV, raise awareness about the need to accept people with HIV or AIDS, and raise support for children whose family members have HIV- or AIDS-related illnesses.

Zainabu also encouraged her mother to go for a test, and she turned out to be HIV-positive.

“As a family, we have committed ourselves to helping other people. Our advice: Eat good food, be faithful in your marriage, go to hospital immediately when you have an infection, plan your family, keep your mind on good thoughts, and share your problems – do not hide them. I can now work hard and focus on my health and that of my family.

“I am determined to see all my children finish school, go to university and even get married. I am determined to make the most of my new life. HIV should not stop anyone from achieving his/her goals in life.”

Zainabu was able to avoid transmitting HIV to her youngest daughter during childbirth. Zainabu is a happy mother because the baby was HIV-negative.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

How do you say goodbye to a sponsored child who has died? Have you ever had to do that, or to say goodbye to another child in your life?

As with many things, there’s often the thought, “Oh, that won’t happen to me. That sort of stuff only happens to other people.” Then the world shook in Haiti and changed our perspective.

But children don’t just die or get injured in earthquakes. They die from malaria and AIDS. They die from diarrhea and other preventable causes. They die in childbirth and in accidents. And when they die it’s, well, it’s like this:

I can’t explain how one comes to love a child who they hardly know. But I can say that I felt like Akouvi was part of my family. I loved her. And so often in her letters, she told me that she loved me too.

I don’t think I understood the depth of my love for her until February 23. That’s the day that I found out Akouvi had died. That’s the day I felt like something had cracked open inside of me, filling me with red-hot grief. Sadness that burned so fiercely that even my tears could not extinguish it.

Read the entire post.

I found myself very distracted the day we heard of his death. I wondered how his family is coping. I wondered what kind of ceremony they would have in Tanzania to remember such a precious child. I wondered if his family realized that his sponsor family was at a loss over what to do.

Read the entire post.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

Florence Sena Amponsah is a Partnership Facilitator for 12 Compassion-assisted child development centers. She has been with Compassion Ghana for one year now. She is involved with a pilot program to train youths to educate their peers about HIV and AIDS.

“When children get to a certain age, around the teenage years, they tend to relate more to their peers and their siblings who are closer to them in age than they would from their parents or teachers or adults in general.

“Parents and adults have the inclination to be uncommunicative on issues concerning sex, but children get to an age where they need answers to many things happening to their bodies. When they do not get the responses they require, they turn to their peers for information.

“Most times the information shared among peers is by and large wrong and detrimental.

“Considering these facts, we believe that when the capacity of children whom we call ‘Peer Educators’ is built up by equipping then with right knowledge and correct information, then these children can carry the message across to other children, their communities, their churches and even in their schools.

“What they are learning are most of the general things they need answers to at their developmental stage, which they are not able to openly talk about.

“The Peer Educators Training is in the pilot phase for 12 child development centers, presenting two children from each. So there are 24 children involved in the pilot.

“From what I have seen so far, I can confidently say that the program is going to make a great impact. The group of children here are highly intelligent, and judging from their participation, I can tell they are learning a lot as they find the topics to be relevant to them.

“We chose HIV and AIDS as the topic for the peer educators because HIV and AIDS is a disease which is threatening Africa. It has cut across many countries, and is a problem here in Ghana.

“We have orphans, we have people who have been infected with the disease, so we are building the capacity of these peer educators to carry the message.

“They are being taught how the disease is spread so that if they know, they will make informed decisions about themselves. At least they will know how to protect themselves.

“They are also being taught the need to care for other people who have the disease to help prevent discrimination, isolation and rejection.”

Comfort is a parent and the Vice Chairman of the Association of Parents. She is a trader who deals in used clothing. She is among the many parents who have had the opportunity to benefit from HIV and AIDS education as part of our AIDS Initiative.

“I have come here for the parental meeting. My son is in the child development center. His name is Wesley. We named him after John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church.

“I have benefited so much from these meetings. Through these educations, I am well informed on HIV and AIDS.

“Now I know that a person can be carrying the disease for a long time without knowing it. I now know that HIV is when the person has the virus, but is not sick with AIDS but can spread the disease.

“I have been encouraged to go for voluntary testing because it is good to know your status early, so that help can be given to you to keep you from getting sick with AIDS itself.

“We were talked to about stigmatization of AIDS patients. Now I know that I cannot catch the disease just by socializing with a person with AIDS.

“I have a different attitude toward AIDS now. I do not know my status yet, but the next time the opportunity comes, I will be the first person to go for testing. I am already encouraging my friends who did not get the chance to be in these meetings to go for counseling and testing, because that saves life.

“In fact, I am sharing all I know about the disease with anybody I get the chance to talk to.”

Nyarko is 12 years old and is a peer educator.

“I have just graduated from junior secondary school and about to enter senior high school. As a peer educator, I am learning about HIV and AIDS, teenage pregnancy and many more topics.

“I have been told that AIDS is now a major problem in Africa, and more and more people are getting it and more people are dying. I also know that even though a lot of education is going on, many more people are still ignorant about the disease and teenagers are also getting it. Ghana has to intensify education on HIV/AIDS.

“In Ghana there is an increase in orphans due to parents dying from the disease. There is also an increase in the poverty rate because many people are so sick and weak with the disease that they cannot work to support themselves and their families. The high poverty rate has also pushed the youth into prostitution, which is helping the disease to spread.

“I now know that HIV is the virus and AIDS is the disease itself. There is no cure for AIDS so it is important that we abstain from sex. We have also had lessons in sex education, the different forms of abuses and how to identify them. I have learned a lot.

“I have also learned that it is only by doing the HIV/AIDS test that you can tell your status. I know now that it does not mean that you are going to die the moment you have the virus, HIV. But if you know your status and start taking good care of yourself early by taking your drugs and eating good diet, you can live for many years without getting AIDS.

“I intend to share what I have learned with my friends at the student center. I will educate everyone my age I come into contact with. I can even educate some adult who would be willing to listen to me.

“I will tell the girls that even if they do not get AIDS from having sex, they can get pregnant and drop out of school and their life will be a mess.

“I will tell them about all the forms of abuses and let them know that rapists are not strangers alone but rather can be close relatives or well-known people. I have also learned that boys can be raped. I will share with them what to do if they find themselves in any of these bad situations.”

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We eat rice, millet pastry and beans. As we are only two, I cook once a day. After breakfast, I cook and we eat the meal at noon, and in the evening I reheat the leftovers and we eat.

We are living in an urban area. We have electricity and running water in the community, but only for those who can afford it. We also have a medical center in the neighborhood. Most people sell small items to feed their families.

I discovered my daughter was HIV-positive in 2005. She was suffering from severe chickenpox. The treating doctor suggested us to take an AIDS test. We agreed, and the child was declared HIV-positive.

I do not know how she got the disease, if it was during her birth or during the blood transfusion she got when she was very little.

My daughter does not yet know she is HIV-positive, but I will surely tell her. As I do not know how she will react, I am looking for the right moment to tell her.

I am also HIV-positive, but I do not know how and when I got infected. When the doctor discovered that my daughter was HIV-positive, he encouraged me to take the test and that was how I came to know.

I was very shocked when I found out. I was asking myself how I would live with the disease and how others would react.

Four years after being declared HIV-positive, I am still asking myself the same questions. And sometimes I even think of killing my daughter and committing suicide. I would not like to die and leave my daughter alone. Who will take care of her?

I have found no way out of this. In fact, it is because I do believe that God can make a way that I am still alive; otherwise I would have killed myself long ago.

People living with AIDS are not seen well. They are criticized and stigmatized. Whenever people know or even suspect you are HIV-positive they stop talking to you and won’t come to your house anymore.

My daughter and I are under antiretroviral drug therapy (ART) since 2005, just after the AIDS screening test.

My daughter takes lamivudine, aloe-vera and zidovudine. She takes one tablet of each drug in the morning and in the evening.

As for me, I take aloe-vera and zidovudine. I also take one tablet of each drug in the morning and in the evening.

So far we feel good and have not yet experienced any side effects. The doctor said that my daughter may start to vomit, or her eyes and hands may turn white, and he told me to bring her to him in this case. But so far everything is all right.

I would like God to give long life to my child. I am praying for God to make her succeed in life and be self-sufficient, and the Lord knows where to put her.

She has not yet told me about her dream, but she uses to say that when she grows up and gains a lot of money she will build a big house. I always tell her, “The Lord will give you long life and ability to achieve what you plan to do!”

After Azalea shared about her circumstances with me, she and her daughter took part in a sensitization campaign for caregiveres at the child development center.

People in Azalea’s community believe that they will be infected if they dare get close to HIV-positive people. Through these sensitization campaigns that Azalea’s church conducts from time to time, many people in the community have started to learn about the disease, and the stigma is decreasing.

When Azalea and her daughter returned home, the daughter asked so many questions that Azalea seized the opportunity to talk about their HIV-positive statuses.

The daughter asked many questions to understand more about HIV and AIDS. They talked positively, and there was no negativity. Praise God!

*Azalea is not the mother’s real name. Her name was changed for this blog post to protect her privacy.

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