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| Donate - HIV / AIDS |
HIV/AIDS is the leading public health concern today. While the majority of those infected – 70% -- live in sub-Saharan Africa, the disease is quickly spreading. More alarmingly, it is becoming a disease of women, and therefore of children. The disease will leave millions of orphans in its wake just this year.
Celia volunteered to be a health activist in Mozambique because she was interested in doing something productive for her community. Her aunt recently died of “bad blood,” and she knew the sole coffin maker in town was months behind in work. The disease was killing the young, the old, the weak and the strong.
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She attended several training sessions offered by Esperança’s partners – Care for Life and Health Alliance International. In these courses, she learned how to speak with a neighboring families, recognize their health needs, encourage them to seek testing and treatment for HIV/AIDS and care for those already bedridden. Celia’s first day was daunting. She used nearly every skill they’d taught her the week before, including telling a pregnant woman that free drugs were available to prevent transmission of HIV/AIDS to the fetus at a village clinic. She also cradled a dying man and helped his wife safely clean his open bed wounds. She taught several elementary school children who were responsible for fetching their family’s water to treat it with drops of chlorine Esperança provided. She hung mosquito nets, shook hands and recorded her visits. Within several weeks, her village knew that she was their activista.
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Esperança’s mission in HIV/AIDS work in Mozambique is to provide care and services to those families already infected. In this, we aim to develop relationships with the community, find homes for orphans, prevent future transmission and link those infected and those who need testing with pharmaceutical and health care services provided in the area.
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