Help Destitute Moms with AIDS Care for Their Kids

A recurring theme in our updates for this program is how we  function  as the " family for the family" . In simple terms, it means that we are there to lend  moral support and guidance for our families. Many of the mothers in our program are illiterate or have minimal literacy. These moms , while loving to their children , are not sophisticated and often not really capable of identifying or evaluating complex situations and resources.

One such family, has been with us for more than 10 years. Ms. S, now age 20  and her family came to us when Ms. S was just a yound child and her father was dying of AIDS. The entire family is HIV positive  . Sadly, Ms. S's father passed away, but since that time  S, her mother and her younger sister have all been in our program.  Both mother and sister have been seriously ill at times over the years, although both are currently stable. S, has taken antiretroviral medications and tolerated them well over the years and  has remained well, until about a year ago.

S completed highschool with high marks, in the top 3  of her class and dreamed of being a doctor. After much discussion, her mother felt that she probably could not manage the stresses and strains of such a long education and that in the end, in Cambodia, where there is still great prejudice against AIDs, felt that no one would want to be treated or see  by a doctor who was HIV positive , so S set her sights on trying to attend local college and get a business degree.

After completeing 2 years of her program she fell ill, developing numbness in one arm which soon led to complete loss of use in her dominant hand and arm.  Doctors in Cambodia were baffled and told us to take her to Bangkok for diagnosis and advised us that unless we did this, she could permanently loose use of her arm.  We arranged for the 11 hour bus ride to Bangkok accompanied by an aunt and uncle who could speak some english. The bus ride was a small fraction of the cost of a plane ticket  .  We then made arrangements with one of our kind Thai friends to coordinate doctor and hospital appointments , accompany the family, arrange for inexpensive lodging and everything else.

Tests were performed   but were inconclusive.Treatment was prescribed with an uncertain view as to outcome.  S returned to Cambodia where her continued to deteriorate to where she was confined to bed at home in their tiny rooms ,with vomitting and extreme weekness, unable to stand without assistance. Although we feared she could die, she did not.   S  is a fighter and she held in .  Some weeks later we again arranged for another 11 hour ( one way !) trip to Bangkok  for more appointments for an MRI and meeting with a neurosurgeon  made a tentative diagnosis that there was inflammation around a tumor  but that without biopsy there could not be a firm diagnosis but the doctor felt  that  it looked like a type of central nervous system lymphoma and that a combination of chemotherapy and radiation might be the best treatment.There was no money for a biopsy and the family feared possible damage from such a procedure, so biopsy was ruled out and  the doctor  suggested a regime of other medications and a watch and wait position. And S returned to Cambodia.

The good news is that S has since  improved but the future remains unclear. She is determined to return to try to finish her degree, and  her strong will and positive attitude are something to marvel as we all hope for a miracle.

One thing is certain, without the support of Ms. S's " extended family" it is quite likely that we simply would have lost her. We  are hopeful that Ms. S will return to full health and return to her studies.

You, our donors, are also a part of the " family for the family" .Over the many years we have had  situations where on a wing and a prayer , with scarce resources, we have been able to pull   together resources to help our families navigate complex resources and solutions. We are grateful for your continued support .

Barbara & Mark Rosasco

As we have often said, a  large part of the success of each of   project is its ability to have sustained funding. 

You are receiving this project update because you  may have, in the past, been a supporter of out program to help indigent mothers impacted by HIV/AIDs to support their chidlren,  and we hope that you will again consider supporting this effort as we move toward Giving Tuesday, on December 1.

During the month of December, recurring donations, which can be as small as just        $10.00 per month, can receive a one month match from Global Giving.  Donations may be made directly to the FSP program here or to our Educate Cambodian Kids Impacted by AIDS micro project , also posted on GlobalGiving.

Since 2000, our AIDS Patient Family Support Program has  continued a 15 year effort  to protect fragile children impacted by extreme poverty and HIV/AIDS. Beyond the social support that we provide for our current roster of 37 families and approximately 70 children, we  provide  access to education for the children in the FSP. Social support includes helping with tasks of daily living, such as connecting family with resources, making  and attending doctors appointments and a large variety of other ways to help these families more safe and secure.  Key to our long term strategy to lift the children out of poverty is our focus on education.

We are proud to say that our strategy works !  In Cambodia where it is estimated that only 40% of Cambodian students graduate from high school and the average educational grade proficiency is 6th grade, we  take great pride that our  FSP program has children graduating from high school in spite of the giant challenges of extreme poverty and families impacted by HIV/AIDs. We even have a few who have made it to college.

The children all returned to school in October to start their new year.   These children benefit from our education  program because  they can  start each year with a new school uniform, a new  book bag and proper school supplies and avoid the stigma of being immediately identified as the “ poor kids” at the start of the term. We pay the extra  weekly  " teacher fees" that are a part of the reality of underfunded  public education in Cambodia, as teacher salaries are grossly inadequate. Consequently , teachers assess each student additional " fees" these fees , and depending upon the grade level, the fees  can add up to as much as  $30 per month for students to receive proper instruction in the public schools. Without the fees, students are not given proper lesson instruction, teachers ignore questions in class and will not provide key information to enable middle and high school students to pass proficiency exams.

Our  FSP  home care team , visits each family at least once per week, and quite often more than once per week. Our Team in addition to monitoring the general condition of the family,  is also tasked with trying to keep kids on track at grade level. In the event that remedial or supplemental  tutoring is required or indicated , our program will provide  the funds to access these services and monitor progress. . Our strong focus  on education has created results over the years, with the large majority of our students passing each year on  to the next grade . Many of our students have  graduated from middle and high school and we currently have  2 in  our college program.  

These accomplishments, while ordinary in the developed world, are often " firsts". The child may be the first in the family to achieve any literacy,  or the first family member  to achieve graduation from   elementary school, and for the great majority of our FSP families, the children who graduate from middle school and high school are truly " firsts". All of this requires a slow, consistent and focused effort to help these kids overcome the challenges of living in extreme poverty, illiterate parents and social stigma.

We are proud to say that our efforts over these many years does move these kids forward toward the day when they will step forward  and step out of their current situation of inherited poverty.    We are deeply grateful to our generous supporters for their long time support and hope that you will again join us in our efforts to help these children.

Barbara & Mark Rosasco