Foundation Blog
News, commentary, and voices in the efforts to eliminate HIV and AIDS in children worldwide.
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.)
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Posted by
Robert Yule
Washington, D.C.
August 31, 2010
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Photo: James Pursey
Five years ago, the Foundation began work on a project in Malawi funded by the USAID to help scale up services to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. In 2005, only six health care facilities in the three districts where the Foundation worked had antenatal care sites offering PMTCT services. Now, 91 such facilities exist, and more than 203,000 pregnant women have been tested and counseled for HIV. Those who tested positive received the critical medicines needed to prevent passing the virus to their babies.
These successes were celebrated earlier today in the capital city of Lilongwe with the release of a new report chronicling the project, and the unveiling of a photographic exhibition telling the stories of those whose lives were touched by this groundbreaking program.
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Posted by
Robert Yule
Washington, D.C.
August 26, 2010
A mom and her baby in Zambia
Telling a child that he or she is HIV-positive can be one of the most difficult conversations for a family to have. But not disclosing HIV status at the appropriate time can have negative effects on keeping children healthy both physically and mentally. It can also break down the trust between child, family, and caregiver that is necessary to manage a chronic disease.
Susan Strasser, the Foundation’s Acting Country Director in Zambia, shared her experiences at the AIDS 2010 conference in Vienna about training counselors and health providers on how to talk to children and families about this issue, and how to help families have this important conversation when the time is right.
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Posted by
Ben Banks
Ashland, VA
August 24, 2010
Attend an event at the White House, check. Have life story mentioned by President Obama during remarks while announcing National HIV/AIDS Strategy, check. Celebrate seventh wedding anniversary, check. Graduate with a Masters of Public Health degree, check (in a few weeks).
All of these events happened to Foundation Ambassador Ben Banks in the past few weeks (he will receive his master's degree next month). They are all events that never seemed possible, especially considering the way his life started.
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Committed to improving the health and welfare of people living with HIV, Rwanda, which has an HIV prevalence rate of 3%, has been treating those infected with HIV/AIDS with antiretroviral drugs since 1999. However, with only one medical doctor per 18,000 people -- and one per 80,000 in rural areas -- Rwanda faces a significant challenge.
Five years ago (2005), the Ministry of Health in Rwanda led a pilot study on "task shifting," in which many of the responsibilities reserved for medical doctors were carried out by nurses instead -- including providing treatment to those living with HIV/AIDS.
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Posted by
Robert Yule
Washington, D.C.
August 17, 2010
The Foundation has recently partnered with the Global Health Corps to strengthen health services for HIV/AIDS in Malawi.
Headed by Barbara Bush, the daughter of former President George W. Bush, the GHC recruits, trains, and supports future leaders in the global health world.
The partnership has placed two GHC fellows, one Malawian and one American, to work in the Foundation’s Malawi program for one year.
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