DanChurchAid
Zambia
A social vaccine against HIV/AIDS
Everything seems so quiet and peaceful here at the Katondwe Mission Hospital, but behind the idyllic scenery is one of Southern Africa’s greatest challenges: The fight against HIV/AIDS.
With support from DanChurchAid and the local partner CHAZ, the Sisters at Katondwe Mission Hospital have fought the disease and its consequences since 1993. And results do show all though it can be difficult to measure the impact of the work.
"But today more people come here to get tested and at the moment we have 200 patients on ARV (Anti-Retroviral medicine)", reports Sister Christina.
Changing behaviour
A lot of information has been passed on to kids and young people in schools, and to villagers through counsellors and support groups in the Katondwe area. But it is hard to change people’s behaviour. "Especially young people; who do not always seem to take it that seriously", says Josephine Daka, who was tested positive 22 years ago.
All though Josephine has been tested positive she has been the sole breadwinner in her family. She has also been very active in the community talking to youngsters about the risks of having unprotected sex, using herself as an example. “But sometimes its like when you tell them there is a lion in the bush, then they have to go look even though they know its dangerous”, adds her second husband. Her first husband died a few years ago.
ARV treatment
Josephine has become weaker within the last year and not long ago she was admitted to the hospital because of some infections. Today she is going back to the hospital to get her CD 4 counts done (amount of white blood cells) and talk to the doctors about going on ARV. She has heard that it has helped a lot of people.
As Josephine is just about to leave the village for the hospital, another AIDS patient passes by on his way to the hospital. It’s Jackson Malunga who looks very healthy. “I was very sick a year ago and I only weighed 43 kg. But after I started on ARV I’ve been much better and today I weigh 61 kg”, tells Jackson.
Jackson walks to the hospital. But Josephine is too weak and is brought to the hospital on the back of a care giver’s bike.
Engaged volunteers
Another care giver is Stephen Tempo. “I’ve been a volunteer for twelve years. I started in 1994 as a care giver, but now I’m also a counsellor in my village and the villages around. I know every village in the valley”, he says. He also tells us how the programme has changed lives and attitudes in the area.
In the beginning when Stephen would come around to the villages, people wouldn’t talk to him as they were afraid the other villagers might think they were HIV positive.
Discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS is generally a big problem, but in Katondwe area the great work of Sister Caroline, the care givers and the counsellors have changed people’s attitudes and now every one knows Stephen and the others. “They are not so shy anymore and the people also come and ask for advice, especially couples to be married”, says Stephen Tempo.
Stephen and the other care givers and counsellors move around to the villages on bikes provided by DCA funds and they are easy recognisable in their green t-shirts with CHAZ printed on them. And now Stephen doesn’t have to hide his bike in the bushes anymore before he goes to see a patient.
Facilitating Community to Community Transfer of HIV/AIDS Responses (FCCT). By strengthening community and household responses and building capacity at implementing church health institutions to coordinate and support these responses.
Katondwe Mission Hospital is situated in the Luangwa District with a very poor food security situation. This is as a result of the chronic poor rains during the farming seasons.The hospital serves a catchment population of 25, 000, and the total hospital bed capacity is 100. Katondwe has shown strength in orphans and vulnerable children care and AIDS care and prevention. The DANIDA/DCA/CHAZ funded project has been implemented there since the year 1993.
The article is written by Gitte Groenlund Rasmussen. Volunteer at the regional office in Zambia, Maj-June 2006.
Zambia
