Name
|
Sharon
|
Nicolas
|
Sandra
|
Keith
|
Sex
|
Female
|
Male
|
Female
|
Male
|
Next of kin
|
Grandmother
|
Grandmother
|
Grandmother
|
Mother
|
Education level
|
Primary Two
|
Nursery School
|
Primary Six
|
Primary Two
|
Age
|
13 years
|
5 years
|
15 years
|
12 years
|
These are the four HIV /AIDS orphans that
I was describing in my prior article.
The picture on the right side of the home page was taken with me at the time they were brought for
treatment to one of the medical missions we did in their district several weeks
ago.
Sandra, Sharon, and Nicholas stay with their grandmother. Their
mother died and their father is HIV/AIDS positive. He is very poor, a drunkard,
and has neglected the family after discovering his own health issues. Their
grandmother is old, has no income to support their family, and looks after many
of her other grandchildren.
The 4th one, Keith (lower left), stays with his
mother who is also a HIV /AIDS patient and is in treatment. Keith’s father died and left the mother alone,
without any source of income. Since they
were peasants, they depended on digging and now she is too weak to dig, both
for food and for earning money.
Treatment: All
four children get their ART treatment (HIV /AIDS) medicine from Health Initiative
for Africa Hospital in MUKONO district, which helps in providing only ART
medical treatment to patients.
How we came to meet
them: These children were brought in for treatment to a medical mission we
held in a remote district in Buikwe, Uganda on May 18th-19th. Heath care services in that district are very
minimal and are very expensive for common people. When the children were brought to the medical
mission, they were in a terrible condition. We felt a lot of compassion for them,
causing us to ask more questions. We did the HIV/AIDS TESTING, which proved all
of them to be HIV positive. We gave them the necessary support, clothing, and
medical care we could and referred them for further management to a hospital.
We continued following up with them to make sure their health began to
stabilize.
Findings/Challenges:
They lack nutritional
care: They do not have the proper nutritional care, due to the fact that
they come from a very poor family and are being looked after by their grandmother or
sick mother, without any source of income. Also, sometimes Sandra, Sharon, and
Nicholas are overworked by their grandmother, thinking that they can get some
food from what they do, and their being overworked causes them to end up in the
hospital.
They lack quality education:
They do not have a source to pay for school fees and travel long distances to
find schools that are cheap and match their standards. They have had to repeat
grades and have even been demoted, because they do not attend classes regularly
due to lack of paid school fees.
They lack parental love: Because they are orphans and they and their
guardians live under stress, they live in helplessness and hopelessness, and
their father does not care for them and has neglected them. They need to be loved
and shown parental care. The three children stay in a small poor house,
sometimes with more than 11 people (including grandchildren), and when staying
there, they do not sleep on mattresses and have no blankets.
They lack medical treatment:
Apart from receiving HIV/AIDS treatment from the hospital, they need other
medical treatment for infections, etc., since they have low immunity and have side
effects of the HIV/aids drugs.
They lack spiritual support: Since they have been tortured mentally,
they need someone to help them learn what the Word of GOD says about them,
share with them how much He loves them, cares for them, and that He has a plan
for their lives.
Recommendations:
GOOD NUTRITION: They need to eat on a balanced diet on a daily basis. Their well-balanced diets should consist of a
combination of energy giving, body building, and protective foods; drinks; and
water that have been boiled three times. After these things have been put into
place, a body weight assessment needs to be completed. Why
nutrition? HIV Infected individuals
are more at risk for malnutrition due to the following reasons: loss of
appetite, poor food absorption, chronic infections, and illnesses.
EDUCATION: They need a good school that is easily accessible and
with cheap means of transportation to where they are staying.
SCHOLASTIC MATERIALS: Basic needs should include: jerry, water,
soap, books, tooth brush, tooth paste, books, pens, pencils, clothes, shoes,
etc.
PARENTAL LOVE: They need a good home where they can be cared for as
children, and be looked after by a trained godly person who will make sure that
they have everything they need (i.e. food, water, and hygiene, etc.). This may mean renting a house where they can stay.
I am willing to stay with them, but my
house is a bit small to accommodate all of us! This would be a bit cheaper,
compared to a nursing home.
MEDICAL TREATMENT: I will stand in the gap as being the immediate
doctor and making referrals for them as needed. Some prescription drugs are necessary, due to
the fact that their immunity is low and their bodies cannot resist diseases.
SPIRITUAL CARE: We would
teach them the Word of GOD and ALSO get them involved in children’s church
ministry.
Please pray for them! God loves these children, as they were created in
His image and likeness, just the same as you and me!!! He desires to meet their needs!
THESE ARE JUST FEW OF
THE MANY CHILDREN THAT ARE SUFFERING IN AFRICA DUE TO: POVERTY, POLITICAL
INSTABILITY, DEATH, HIV, ILLITERACY, AND LOW STANDARDS OF LIVING, ETC. SOME ARE ORPHANS!
OTHERS ARE NOT, BUT ARE NEEDY! OTHERS LIVE AS STREET CHILDREN AND STILL OTHERS
LIVE WITH DISABILITIES!
IT’S OUR CRY THAT GOD
TRANSFORMS AFRICA.
Dr. Gilbert
Africa, Uganda
