Foundation Blog

News, commentary, and voices in the efforts to eliminate HIV and AIDS in children worldwide.

Story of Hope: An Expectant Mother in Malawi Learns Her HIV Status

Posted by Mara Gordon
Lilongwe, Malawi
April 12, 2011

(Photo: James Pursey)

For Teleza, getting tested for HIV was a new beginning.

She came to the antenatal clinic at Bwaila Hospital, a major maternity hospital in the capital city of Lilongwe, Malawi, when she was pregnant last year. She got tested for HIV for the first time there -- and when the result came back positive, Teleza says she felt like she could finally take control of her health.

“Believe it or not, I was relieved,” Teleza says. “I had been feeling ill for some time, and I was glad to learn why. My next step was to figure out how to deal with it.”

Posted by Mara Gordon
Lilongwe, Malawi
February 24, 2011

A healthcare facility in
Lilongwe Dstrict in Malawi.
(Photo: Mara Gordon/GHC)

In 2010, the Foundation and Global Health Corps (GHC) partnered to increase health services and contribute to a strong and lasting health workforce in the sub-Saharan African country of Malawi. GHC placed two fellows in the capital city of Lilongwe to provide valuable capacity to support the Foundation's work in HIV prevention, care, and treatment services for women, children, and families in the country.

One of the fellows, Mara Gordon, recently blogged on the GHC website about the disparity in technology between the United States and Malawi. She identified the challenge that it presents when trying to offer basic healthcare services to the nation's 15 million citizens, and what steps are being taken to overcome those challenges.

Click past the jump to read Mara's blog.

Posted by Mara Gordon
Lilongwe, Malawi
September 1, 2010

Photo: Mara Gordon

What do all the numbers mean? How accurate is our data? How can we quantifiably improve our work? These are questions that we grapple with every day working with the Foundation's monitoring and evaluation team in Malawi. Last night, we were lucky enough to take a break from all that and see the faces behind the numbers at an event commemorating a five-year project aimed at fighting pediatric HIV/AIDS in Malawi.

(Photo: A reception guest takes in the photo exhibit chronicling stories of people impacted by the Call to Action project.)