HIV and poverty

During the last few years, in this region the spread of HIV/AIDS has soared  about 2000 children from 1 to 15 years old, have contracted the virus and they are living with it.

The health director of Moroto district, Abu Lubega, thinks that the causes of this increase are some social issues related one to another, like the misuse of alcohol, disuse of contraceptives, hospitals unable to take care of the whole area assigned to them, the population not caring about this problem, the difficulty to make a real prevention, through programs and counselling in a large area like the Karamoja.
Another problem to be solved is the high number of people that are living with HIV but leave the health system and the virus treatment. The reason is that people affected by HIV are subjected to criticism and discrimination. Patients don’t tell their families about their health status because of fear of being marginalized by the community, so they aren’t looked after properly. This is why local organizations have set up a project called "Choose Life Home Based Care"* endorsing people affected by HIV.
The first part of the project focuses on women and girls living with HIV. They are monitored on how to take their medicines, advised on how to manage the illness, we give them financial support for necessary treatments, psychological support and we teach them the basis for a profession from which to live, such as sewing.
The second part of the project supports orphans, children and adolescents, trying to improve their academic performance, the relationship between affected parents and children, develop creativity and teach the children the right interaction with their peers.
Activities for the improvement of the educational system are afternoon school classes, the monitoring of academic progress of the children, meetings with parents and teachers, educational programs in school during holiday periods, awareness days on the topic of HIV, payment of school fees for the most disadvantaged families.
The program carried out in 2017 involves 402 individuals, including direct and indirect beneficiaries, divided among 263 adults and 139 students.
This type of activity, coordinated by CLHBC and supported by CFF and ONG Together we can in Africa.
The goal is that the program doesn’t stay a sporadic initiative, but we are aiming to a long-term project with long term results, to ensure a future to both the program and the people who live in difficult conditions; thanks to our support they will have the courage to look ahead.

*Choose Life Home Based Care is a local volunteer organisation, legally recognized by the Ugandan Governement as Community Based Organization (CBO). Born in 2011, the organization is today composed by 27 operators working in different activities in Moroto District, Karamoja.