Equipping poor families with HIV/AIDS life skills

Dear Supporter, Greetings! Let me take this opportunity to thank all of you who have been behind the success of our organization. We humbly appreciate every single dollar you donate to our projects. I’m Nelly, a peer educator at GEMINI. By taking part in project activities, I have come to discover that being HIV+ is only the beginning of life. Four months down the line, my life has completely changed…courtesy of your support! In April and May, I was instrumental in facilitating several group discussions within the community. Members are becoming bolder in requesting VCT services, joining support groups and coming out in public to talk about stigma. We were able to build the capacity of members through training, group counseling and outreach activities. We are getting very optimistic response from community leaders, whose support is crucial in destigmatizing HIV. Local chiefs and church leaders are coming out to support us during public meetings. We are also glad that more families are becoming self-sufficient through the establishment of small-businesses. It bolsters their self-esteem and they no longer expect handouts to survive. This is very encouraging. We will be holding outreach meetings the whole of June and we will continue to update you on our activities. We hope you will sustain your support to us. We really acknowledge you!!! Best,

Nelly

GEMINI took advantage of Easter holidays to intensify its campaigns. We held a community outreach, offered counseling services and provided training to local leaders on Communication skills.

Our new community resource center is a tremendous success! We have books and videos on diverse social issues.

We are appealing to all of you to assist us acquire more books and thanks so much for your continued support!

Grassroots Empowerment Initiative -GEMINI- Easter Update Date: 4th April Event: Door-to-door campaign Beneficiaries: 32 families Activities: * Sensitized over 115 people on Home based-care for patients * Offered counseling to 16 families * Identified 21 at-risk orphaned children * Provided mosquito nets to 12 families * Provided informational materials to over 169 people Date: 7th April Event: Outreach Campaign Beneficiaries: 150 people Activities: * Offered counseling to 65 people * Introduced 3 new support groups * Empowered community with life skills * Acquired support of local chiefs in HIV campaign Date: 10th April Event: Training Beneficiaries: 15 local leaders * Empowered them with Communication skills * Enlisted their support in forming support groups