Help Destitute Moms with AIDS Care for Their Kids

Inside the FSP: Transitioning to independent living

Mark left for Cambodia on June 23 , where he will spend 10 days  reviewing our programs, including the AIDS Patient Family Support Program  ( FSP) , which helps  indigent families impacted by extreme poverty and HIV/AIDS.

From the beginning of our FSP in 2000, the FSP has had a long term approach to keep families together , to prevent trafficking and to keep kids in school . One of the biggest challenges for the FSP is to offer the assistance needed to sustain families while encouraging self sufficiency.    Over the past 3months, we have continued our exhaustive and  careful  review of each family’s current status and  stability as well as their  potential for possible  financial  independence . During that time we identified 8 families who over the past 6 to 12 months are  gradually being phased out of our care, leaving us with a core of about 65 families remaining in the FSP at the present time.  We are please to say that most of those families have now begun their transition towards more independent living.  Much of this is possible because of our long focus on education as an economic enabler for children. The children of our target families  in this transition are now launched into a stable , lower middle class life which means that they are now in a position to provide family support for their mothers.

Periodic  assessments such as these are an essential and  vital  part of the FSP.  They free up scarce resources  and it  honors our commitment to our donors that we will be certain that funds are used, to the best of our abilities.

Mark reviews the status of each family every quarter.  Structure and discipline are applied with  large amounts of understanding, accommodation and compassion.

We are grateful for your support and  it is our honor to  have our efforts supported by you.  We are so pleased with the continuing progress of our families .

Barbara & Mark Rosasco