Distribution of 1000 Mosquito Bed Nets in Zambia in September 2012
Power of Love Foundation’s (POL) Project Mosquito Nets program provides long lasting insecticide treated bed nets to women and children vulnerable to Malaria in Zambia. We would like to say a big “Thank You” to you for supporting this program. With your support, we were able to provide 1000 insecticide treated nets to women and children vulnerable to Malaria in Zambia in September 2012. The distribution activities included a demonstration regarding the proper use, treatment and maintenance of nets, and education on prevention of malaria. The event was attended by community partners, the area councillor, and local leaders.
Profile of Beneficiaries: Nets were provided to 1000 families vulnerable to malaria. Most of the beneficiaries were children who are HIV positive, children under the age of five years, pregnant moms, women who are breast feeding, HIV positive children, and adults who are infected with TB. These sections of the population are most vulnerable to malaria as their immune system is compromised due to their HIV positive status, and because co-infection rates between malaria, HIV and TB are very high.
Impact of the Distribution: Provision of bed nets and education on malaria prevention and proper use and maintenance of nets goes a long way in eradicating malaria from the community. As a result of this distribution of nets, and proper use by beneficiaries we expect to see a marked reduction in the incidence of malaria and an increase in school attendance. Also, a post-distribution study will be conducted to assess the impact of the nets on the incidence of malaria and to determine if the nets are maintained (treated with insecticide) and used as required.
Need for Nets: Follow-up interviews with nets recipients indicates that the nets distributed over the last 2-3 years, are in good condition and are being used for malaria prevention by the beneficiary households. However, more nets are needed as there are several thousand households without bed nets in Zambia.
Request for Funds: At this time we are raising funds to provide 1000 long lasting insecticide treated nets (LLIN’s) in the Spring of 2013 and an additional 1000 nets in Fall 2013. Please donate generously as your donation will go a long way in preventing malaria and keeping the children healthy and in school.
Thanks again for your support and encouragement.
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An Update on Power of Love's Project "Micro Loans for Women Impacted by HIV/AIDS in Zambia"
We would like to say a big "Thank You" to you for supporting women entrepreneurs in Zambia take the first steps towards self-reliance.
Power of Love’s microloans program empowers women impacted by HIV/AIDS and helps them become self-reliant. You will be happy to know that we were able to provide business training and small loans to 25 new women entrepreneurs in September 2012. These new women entrepreneurs meet weekly with the loan officer, discuss issues related to their loans, children's health, schooling, HIV prevention, and how to improve their businesses. They are applying the basic principles of business (learnt during business training last month) by tracking sales, inventories, expenses, and keeping accounts daily. In addition, they are learning that a better store design and display leads to more sales and repeat customers. They are on track with their loan repayments and should be able to complete their first loan cycle by April/May 2013 at which time they will be eligible for a second loan.
Some of the businesses started by the women include: (i) Grocery items like dried fish, beans, rice, cooking pots, cups and plates, bananas, soft drinks, popcorn, charcoal, fresh fish, cup cakes, milk, sugar, tea, coffee, vegetables, fruits, peanut butter, fritters, (ii) Books (mostly Bibles), (iii) Clothing: School jerseys, used clothing, and (iv) Shoes. These businesses will help provide for 125 children in school as on average a woman cares for 5 or more children in her home. The children can go back to school as a result of better nutrition and health and because their caregivers can now purchase school supplies (books, shoes, school bag, uniforms).
The long-term impact of our micro loans program is to allow women to start planning, saving, and building a better future for themselves and their families. Our women entrepreneurs take the first steps towards self-reliance, run thriving businesses and become role models and mentors for other women in the community. The program has a substantial impact on the community beyond the program participants themselves as the women in our program encourage others in the community to go in for voluntary testing and counseling (VCT) for HIV, start businesses, and take charge of their own lives.
Meet Sharon, one of the women entrepreneurs in our loans program.
Sharon is 50 years old and takes care of her six grandchildren and three other dependents. Her husband stopped work five years ago and they were not able to provide for their family. She learnt about Power of Love's micro loans program from a friend who is a beneficiary of this program. Her friend asked her to join the program as one of her grandchildren was not well.
Once Sharon joined our program, she was given business training and a small loan to start a business selling fried chicken on the roadside. With earnings from her business, Sharon has been able to provide three meals for her family, and two of her grandchildren are back in school as she can pay for their school expenses. In addition, she has added two rooms to her house, so that she can supplement her income with rent. Sharon's business is doing well and she is on track with her loan repayments. She is happy and confident about her future.
Thanks again for your generous support and encouragement. With the addition of 25 new women, the total number of women entrepreneurs in our program has increased to 170. Each and every one of these women is a star as they are battling difficult circumstances to provide for their families and keep their children healthy and in school.
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The Power of Love team would like to thank its friends and donors who provide support to its pediatric HIV/AIDS care program in Zambia. With generous support from donors, we have been able continue to improve the lives of several hundred children and families impacted by HIV/AIDS and malaria in Zambia. To lern more click here.
Our Philosophy behind the pediatric HIV/AIDS care Program: We believe that the home environment is the best for a child's normal development and that with the right training "everyone can be a caregiver" for an HIV positive child. Many health care services needed by an HIV positive child can be provided at home by a trained family member supported by a trained health care assistant/ nurse at a much lower cost than in an institution. Accordingly, after enrolling an HIV positive child, we train family members in caring for him/her so that the child is under the care of a trained person 24/7. This leads to a better understanding and prevention of HIV/AIDS in the community. The ripple effect of this approach is huge and long lasting for the community.
In addition, we strongly believe that in a resource constrained environment, our services should be complementary and not competitive to those provided by the government clinics, with the common goal of improving the quality of life and health of children in the community. As a result, we work closely with the government clinics in Zambia to maximize the impact of each dollar of funds.
Our pediatric HIV/AIDS care program provides food, medicines, and a package of life saving health care services to 200 HIV positive children. The package of health care services includes weekly health check-ups from Community Health worker/Nurse, psychosocial counseling, adherence monitoring and training, and education in prevention of HIV for older children. In addition, we provide ongoing training to family members (most are grandmothers) in caring for an HIV positive child. This program benefits 200 children and their families directly and an additional 1100 children indirectly as family members trained in HIV/AIDS care become role models for others in the community. To date, over 450 women have been trained. Also, in the last seven years, we have had 323 children go through our pediatric HIV/AIDS care program but lost eleven children to AIDS. Statistically, we could have lost 50 children or more as life expectancy of an HIV positive child is just five years at birth. More importantly most of the children are back in school. To read more click here.
At present, out of the the 200 children,126 children are on ARV medication and our program provides them with much needed continuous care. As a result of this continuous quality care:
(i) all children (except two), have either maintained or gained weight since January 2012. A stable or increased weight is an indication of stable health and is remarkable given the HIV positive status of the children and especially so since 63% are on ARV's.
(ii) We provide adherence training and monitoring for older children who are aware of their status. At this time, all children who are aware of their status are adhering well to their ARV regimen.
(iii) As a result of better nutrition and health, all children eligible for school are in school and learning.
To sum: This program has increased survival rates, reduced malnutrition, and lowered the frequency of opportunistic infections, leading to systemic and long term improvement in health and attendance for the children.
Cost of this program: It costs about 0.75 cents per day per child or about $55,000 per year to provide food, medicines and the package of life saving health care services to all 200 HIV positive children. We will be happy to provide an itemized break up of costs upon request.
Funding Requirements for 2012/2013
At this time, we are raising funds to continue to:
1. Provide food, medicines, and a package life-saving health care services to all 200 children in our program,
2. Train an additional 100 caregivers/grandmothers in caring for an HIV positive child.
3. Test caregivers of the children in our program for cervical cancer and breast cancer screening.
4. Continue the HIV “testing and prevention” program for caregivers so that our model continues to be comprehensive with elements of prevention, treatment, care for HIV.
5. Continue to provide school expenses for children whose parents need this support.
Please donate generously to this program so that all 200 children can continue to lead healthy and close to normal lives, and be back in school and learning.
Thanks.
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