There is dire need for multi-faced approach to HIV/AIDS, by involving advocacy, care and support programs, to the infected and affected victims. Also required is mitigation of socio-economic impacts of the disease and proper community capacity building. Implementation of community based project that encourage peer education about the scourge at the village level. This would demystify the disease HIV/AIDS advocacy for behavior change and outlawed cultural practices among people at risk. There is adverse food insecurity and malnutrition which is becoming a common experience in many parts of the country. Poverty situation within many societies is worsening because of the growing socio-economic impact caused by the dreaded disease which is deleting the generation of active age bracket.
These ladies lost their husbands due to the HIV/AIDS which is a killer disease in the world these days. Some of them is due to accidents and others political and family matters. Some of these ladies were being forced into early marriage by their parents as it is common in African countries and other due to financial strains. So many of these girls/ladies married polygamists which increased chances of getting HIV/AIDS. They become nothing but complete house wife’s hence a woman who would be so productive would get more favor from the husband and they were not knowing nor having time to plan for the kids they gave bath out of competing with the co-wife’s yet many African men then and now don’t believe in education hence some got wealth minus going to school and assume the same will apply to the children.
Time comes a man dies and leaves the women suffering yet most of them were not taking their family future into consideration they hardly saved anything but spending all that they could be having and even some times selling all the properties that would benefit the family. Making matters worse is that 85% of such people, when diagnosed of HIV/AIDS do not tell the truth to their family especially women so that ladies can get early treatment but they keep them not knowing and almost most of such people claim to be witched yet in actual sense they are suffering from HIV/AIDS. Among these women those with kids and can’t take care of them even meet their needs as ladies too due to luck of income which has affected most of them yet they can’t easily get jobs as well. Available jobs need lots of power which they can’t do due their status/conditions though some force themselves which shortens there life span.
USSARC is currently taking care of these women (widows) and their kids. They are getting adequate treatment, food and clothes etc. above counseling.
USSARC supports the following group’s new initiative plans for the success of its program through the following activities:-
- Provision of care and support to orphans and vulnerable children.
- Provision of orphans with access to basic education and raising their education to a higher level.
- Advocate for legal protection of orphans and vulnerable children, widows and HIV/Aids infected victims within the society.
- Increased Horticultural farming as an alternative income generating activity.
- Organize training for community Health Workers to cope with the demand of community required primary health care services.
- To start fish farming for the community income generating to support the group’s programme.
‘’The deepest wounds require individual attention. Our counselors provide one-on-one sessions for those needing help with addiction, grief, inner healing, past abuse, or other deeply rooted issues.’’
Rose is one of the women and widows who get support from USSARC through grand view Baptist church She lost her husband in 2010 due to HIV/AIDS and she has eight (8) kids four boys (4) and four girls (4) and among the them four are above eighteen that they have started seeking for their own as the world leads them though it is hard for them out because they had no chance to go school not that they did not want but it was luck of tuition which affecting many kids in this communities till date. She leaves a few meters off grand view Baptist church premises and she attends prayers at GVBC and consoling.
At times she always feels like wondering why she was created on earth to surfer for nothing hence she was not the one who brought the HIV in her life hence she was a trustful woman but now suffering a killer diseases and have no hope for her future with her kids who are also innocent about all this. She sometimes misses money to get medicines on time food and even needs for her younger kids who have not yet reached to such for themselves though the older ones are working but also their income is higher than there expenditure which makes her to get no help from them but be burden free with them hence they no longer ask her for food.
The husband died after selling almost all the properties to cover hospital bills but eventually he died and left the family with totally nothing and no were to start which has really made this lady helpless and her being a victim now she needs extensive care and treatment that she misses out due to the fact that clinics are far from her place of residence and she mostly fails to raise transport which leads to shortening of her days on earth and making her leave her kids too just as her husband which will really be bad for the younger ones hence they are still experiencing the agony of losing their father and they will not stand a chance to have a mother die just soon.
USSARC through grand view Baptist church by supplying medication, clothes, shoes, food and enrolling her kids to one of our partnering schools.
USSARC assists communities by helping them with some required needs as part of donation. We strive to create more employment opportunities for the communities, contributing to the needy social organizations is our priority.