By Martha Kibukamusoke | Program Officer Information and Documentation
This report by Patform for Labour Action provides an update to Global Giving on the project entitled ‘Educate 200 War & HIV/AIDS-Orphaned Ugandan Girl’ located in Lira Northern Uganda. During the period January to March 2010, the youth counselor visited 47 children during their vacation and some of them expressed themselves through letters. The head office also made one monitoring visit to Lira district and were able to visit one school Elia Olet primary school which currently has three children( girls) and one of them is HIV positive. The children were counseled and advised to work harder to improve on their performance in school.
Rebecca Ateng says ‘’ She takes ARVs which she carries in her uniform pocket. I stay with my grand mother . At times there is no food at home. Sometimes I depend on school food for the medication I take. I feel very weak when I take medication without food. I want to join the boarding section so that I can be able eat three meals a day. But the PLA program does not pay for boarding. When other children see me taking my medication, they tease me which makes me cry,’. When the boys see medicine in my pocket they also tease me and threaten to beat me''.
During the monitoring visit the PLA staff requested the teachers to exercise more care for Rebecca to address the stigma and discrimination in school. PLA also provided extra $10 to Rebecca for her meals.
Actions to be taken to improve • In addition to the youth counselor we have recruited a field officer to visit the children regularly and build a personal relationship between the children and PLA staff and the care givers and to counsel care takers not to involve children in work that interferes with their education. • The teachers have been advised to also take their responsibility to counsel children and take more care for children who are HIV positive to address stigma in school and discrimination.
Platform for Labour Action takes this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to our donors who have contributed to the education of the children under this program since 2004. Your contributions have enabled us to counsel 47 children during this quarter. Counseling of one child costed an average of $6.5
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