Ariel Camp Maputo – December 2009
By Denise Alves
Maputo, Mozambique
February 8, 2010

In Mozambique an estimated 146,000 (Ministry of Health, 2009) children are infected with HIV, many unaware that they living with the virus, or what it means, even though they take medication. Parents and relatives keep a child’s status hidden to protect from discrimination and stigma. Understanding the complex condition and learning to cope can be difficult for a child.

Starting in 2008, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation in Mozambique has organized four Ariel Children’s Camps in three provinces of Mozambique. These Ariel Camps, named in honor of Elizabeth Glaser’s daughter Ariel, provide an opportunity for children living with HIV to meet other HIV-positive peers and share their experiences and coping strategies. The event is also an opportunity for adults who work with these children to learn and discuss different approaches to supporting these children.



Participating in the most recent Mozambique Ariel Camp, which took place in Maputo province, was a unique and fantastic experience. Our group included 28 children, ages 8 to 16, along with 10 adult volunteers and counselors, who work with the children in local health centers in their communities. Staff from the Foundation’s offices in Maputo and Matola provinces joined the camp as well. During the three-day camp, the children played and had fun, but also spent a lot of time reflecting and discussing topics such as adherence to their medication, the importance of taking medication properly, and communication, helping them to identify with whom they can speak when they have problems.



On those three days at camp I learned a lot with those children. I was inspired by their will to live and their dynamism, and also reflected on their ability to leave childhood behind and become adults, many enduring the loss of family members and carrying the burden of their own condition. I saw their amazing ability to discern between good and bad, selfishness and generosity, their capacity to think beyond illness, and have a responsibility to live and help friends live as well. I thought of how they had to be strong, take their medication correctly, and understand that this will continue for the rest of their lives. I learned from these strong and humble children that life must be faced with strength and optimism, and that we should fight to live, and not be defeated by a chronic condition – that one always has to be a survivor and to live positively.

Denise Alves works as the country communications officer for EGPAF-Mozambique. She is based in Maputo.