BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR
Although HIV and Aids has spared no one, poor people are the most vulnerable.
AIDS has caused households to dissolve as parents die and children are sent to relatives for care and upbringing. The disease also strips families of their assets and income earners, further impoverishing the poor.
In most cases, older people are heavily affected as they're forced to care for their sick children and are often left to look after orphaned grandchildren.
Grandparents left caring for the sick face the burden of providing financial, emotional and psychological support at a time when they would be expecting to receive such support as their energy levels drop with older age.
Further, HIV and Aids contribute to food insecurity as agricultural work is neglected or abandoned due to household illness.
HIV/Aids diminishes agricultural output and it is thought that by 2020, Malawi’s agricultural workforce will be 14% smaller than it would have been without the disease.
“Our fields are idle because there is nobody to cultivate them. We don't have machinery for farming, thus if we are sick, or caring for sick family members, we have no time to spend working in the fields," said a Blantyre-based widow, Ellen Kandikole.
Blantyre District Coordinator for Save the Children Panji Kajani said the most unfortunate response to a death in poorer households is removing the children (especially girls) from school.
“Often school uniforms and fees become unaffordable for such families and the child's labour and income-generating potential are required in the household,” said Kajani.
How Aids affects children
As parents and family members fall sick, children take responsibility to earn an income, produce food, and care for family members. It is harder for these children to access adequate nutrition, basic healthcare, housing and clothing.
In such a situation, children may be forced to abandon their education. Girls may turn to prostitution to earn a living.
How the pandemic impacts on economy
Aids affects the economy by reducing the labour supply through increased mortality and illness. Amongst those who are able to work, productivity is likely to decline as a result of HIV-related illness.
Government income also declines, as tax revenues fall and governments are pressured to increase their spending to deal with the expanding HIV epidemic.
International Committeee for the Development of People (CISP) in-come generating activities (IGA) expert Maclean Mtokota says in such a situation families that are infected and affected can raise their economic base by participating in small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Mtokota explains that SMEs are an important source of employment, particularly for low-skilled workers, as well as women and young people.
“In such a situation, SMEs become the only sure way for earning an independent among people living with HIV and Aids. In some countries, SMEs have proved to be crucial in local development and income generation to mitigate the impact of HIV and Aids on poor households,” says the IGA expert.
How much should PLWHAs be assisted?
Although antiretroviral drugs have helped thousands of Malawians, hundreds of thousands of people still need the life-prolonging medication. However, the challenge to infected people is lack of financial resources for buying nutritious food on the market.
When he tested HIV positive over six years ago, George Bannet, 43, of Machinjili in Blantyre had no source of money let alone someone who could provide him care.
His wife had died two years earlier with unknown disease. Initially, Bannet, who was too sickly the time his wife passed away, dreaded going for HIV Testing and Counselling (HTC) fearing the prospects of testing HIV positive.
“I thought I'd become the object of taunt if I tested positive. I also feared for my children's future,” Bannet said.
But with assistance from Save the Children, Bannet managed to go for the test. He was immediately put on anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) because his CD4 had drastically declined to lower levels.
Today, he is enjoying good health and optimistic about the future: “I hope to continue working hard and assist fellow PLWHAs. Besides, I’m currently building the future for my children.”
Bannet is lucky because his children have already started receiving educational and psychological support from Save the Children Programme and Malawi Girl Guide Association (Magga).
Project Malawi Country Coordinator Claudio Tonin explains that in the past individualistic approach to the fight against HIV/Aids and its impact has not benefited the people they served.
Tonin says with funding from an Italian leading bank called Itensa San Paolo, Project Malawi devised an inclusive approach in order to arrest the spread of the virus while at the same time lessening the pain among the infected and affected persons.
“Infected people have to be supported in all areas of need. It is not enough to provide them with ARVs when they cannot access nutritious meals. There is need also to help their children who can't access education because of financial resources,” says he.
Thus under Project Malawi the initiative has fused together Save the Children, CISP, Community of Saint Egidio's Dream Program, Malawi Girl Guide Association (Magga) and the Department of Nutrition, HIV and Aids in the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) so that people living with the virus can be assisted in all aspects of need.
Tonin explains: “These organisations have different approaches and goals that aim at complementing the other. Working under one umbrella makes the fight against Aids and its impact more complete and successful.”
Tonin says the primary goal of the project was to pilot strategies for strengthening each country’s capacity to scale up comprehensive HIV/Aids programs by providing care and treatment in an effective, affordable way.
Project Malawi believes these difficulties can strongly limit the patient’s adherence to the therapy and, therefore, make it less effective.
Thus in all Dream centres, people living with HIV and Aids can access quality medical and nutritional support at no cost.
“After providing them with nutritious meals, we refer our clients interested in businesses to CISP for training. For children that need school sponsorships, we refer them Save the Children,” he said.
This holistic approach to dealing with HIV and Aids pandemic and its impacts has lessened fears among PLWHAs and, therefore, increased adherence to the drugs.
Thus trauma and hardship that children affected by HIV and AIDS are forced to bear are reduced.
Principal Secretary for Nutrition, HIV and Aids, Dr. Mary Shawa states that the partnership was influential in the reduction of the prevalence rate.
“I don't think we could have realized this success if we worked individually,” said Shawa.
END
No comments:
Post a Comment