Successful Programs to Reach Orphans and Vulnerable Children

OCTOBER 2008 — By partnering with local organizations, GHARP provided support to orphans and other children vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Programs and services addressed the numerous complex challenges these children face, including poverty, poor health and nutrition, and lack of education.

GHARP supported orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC) throughout Guyana, including 83 children through Hope for All, a local NGO. Established in 2001, Hope for All was the only NGO in the region providing HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and counseling and testing services to OVC. A single case handled by Hope for All in 2008 illustrates the intensive focus on each child’s needs:

The organization received a call regarding a 12-year-old HIV-positive boy in a local hospital; he had contracted tuberculosis and was so ill he was not expected to survive. Complicating matters, he was not adhering to his prescribed medication. The organization’s project coordinator (also a medical technologist) and a nursing supervisor visited the child in the hospital and began working with his caregiver. His condition improved and he was discharged from the hospital with prescribed drugs and vitamins, but a volunteer assigned to him soon discovered he was again not taking his medications. However, with home visits and focused attention, he began to adhere to his drug regimen. During his hospitalization and recovery, the boy had been absent from school. The NGO stepped in again to provide him with educational support to bridge the gap until he returned to classes. The nurse continued working with the caregiver, sharing information on how to prepare nutritious, low-cost meals and deal with opportunistic infections. The young man was able to return to school, adhere to his medications, and thrive, and the Hope for All staff continued to monitor his progress.

Another GHARP-supported NGO, the Linden Care Foundation (LCF), emerged from the Regional AIDS Committee with a mission to prevent and reduce HIV infection and reduce the rate of STI transmission. The foundation’s mission also encompasses reducing stigma and discrimination, empowering youth, and enhancing the nutritional status of children. Several of the foundation’s GHARP-supported projects focused on making young people aware of the dangers of being infected with HIV. Foundation activities related to youth included prevention education in the form of peer counseling and education, and group counseling that emphasized youth and schoolchildren. LCF offers a range of services for children including life skills programs, nutrition support, summer camps, homework assistance, library facilities, and referrals for free medical services. Services for families include counseling and testing, referrals to social welfare services, and home-based care (HBC) for children as well as adults. LCF’s adherence counselors keep close tabs on their clients and make sure they take the medication they need to stay healthy.

PHOTOS: (Top) Former head of Peace Corps Guyana Mr Kumar Lakacvani and GHARP COP Mr Kwame Asiedu assist with feeding program for OVC. (Bottom) Schoolgirls receive food from the Nutritional Enhancement Program run by St  Francis Community Developers. (FHI/Guyana)