Why is care and support important?
In the development sector, the term “orphans and vulnerable children” is often used. OVC include anyone under the age of 18 who has one or more HIV positive parent or deceased parent. There are over 700,000 OVC in Zambia (in a country of just 11,000,000).

Behind the statistics and the jargon are grandmothers struggling to bring up their grandchildren alone and children fulfilling the role of guardian before they’ve had their 18th birthday.

This problem is not going to go away quickly. We are likely to have a large number of OVC for many years to come.

What does SAPEP do?
In a number of small ways, AIDS Action Club members work to support vulnerable members of society such as widows, orphans, the elderly and people with disabilities.

AACs participate in home visits to affected families, helping with manual work and giving donations of food where possible.

AACs run youth-friendly health corners whereby community members have the chance to seek advice in confidence about HIV and AIDS-related issues. All volunteers who work in youth-friendly health corners are trained in basic counselling training by a member of the SAPEP project staff.

AACs act to support and capacity-build home-based care projects in order to ensure that those who have AIDS are receiving the best palliative care available.
What are the plans for the future?
AACs lead their communities by example. Given that HIV prevalence is so high, it is essential that the community engages with people living with HIV/AIDS. We work to make sure that these people’s rights are upheld and that they receive the support they need and have the chance to live in dignity.

What are the plans for the future?
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is free in Zambia but there are still significant costs for an ordinary Zambian who is seeking treatment. Receiving ART can mean travelling long distances to reach clinics; the cost of transport, accommodation and food can put many poor people living with HIV/AIDS off. SAPEP has agreed to take part in a government initiative called mobile ART, whereby a team of state health workers reach out to people living with HIV/AIDS in rural communities to provide the treatment that they require. SAPEP’s role will be to prepare the communities in which it works for the arrival of mobile ART; identifying those who require it and alleviating any anticipated stigma that might come from other sections of the community. It takes time to get the funds together and this project is yet to be launched. In the mean time, sadly, people living with HIV/AIDS are not receiving treatment and suffering as a result.

Another way of improving the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS and their community peers is to better their nutritional intake. In Zambia, the staple diet is nsima, a type of porridge made from maize meal. As a result of high poverty levels, this can sometimes be unaccompanied by meat. Simple nutrition projects, such as the creation of vegetable gardens and orchards – implemented by community members, supported by SAPEP – can improve the health of the community and prolong their lives.

Finally, we want to extend our work in eliminating stigma and discrimination. We plan to expand our highly successful radio programmes and expand the number of media through which we spread our anti-discrimination message. Through taking a rights-based approach, we plan to empower people living with HIV/AIDS to live in their communities free from discrimination.

None of our plans can be fulfilled without your support, so please donate online.