Embo: HIV/Aids care
Victims
in Embo, Kwa Zulu Natal
Embo is a sprawling rural community in KwaZulu
Natal, South Africa. It is set in a
beautiful part of the world, known as The Valley of a Thousand Hills. The
people are
poor subsistence farmers for the most part. Some local experts estimate
that up to
six of every ten inhabitants may be HIV positive. No one disputes that
this is the
worst affected area in the whole of Africa.
There are some clinics providing Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) but no
context of
care. Sufferers may receive treatment but their wider needs and that of
their
families are ignored. HIV/Aids continues to isolate and stigmatise the
families
affected.
The loss of work and ultimately life has devastating effects on families
in Embo.
Parents aged 24 to 40 are most vulnerable and grand-parents or older siblings
are
often left to raise a large family group. As a consequence, children miss
schooling
and, without education, repeat the same journey of their parents. It is
estimated
that 30% of children born to HIV positive mothers carries the disease.
The Project
As a result, they have recruited and trained 10 home care workers who will:
-
make referrals as necessary to the clinic and arrange patient transport
-
advise on hygiene, diet, sexual health, etc
-
monitor and if necessary administer treatments
-
check on family problems and liaise with appropriate authorities
-
above all, give unconditional love and care
You can help!
There are two ways to help:
- if you have nursing experience with HIV/Aids, you could visit Embo and work alongside the team for a week or more
- if you would like to help this new church make a real difference in their community, we invite you to give £10 a month to MAI for this project; £10 a month is the cost of providing the worker to support one family (if you would prefer, single donations or different monthly amounts are possible)
