SOS Children
in
Madeleine and Paul are among the
beneficiaries of the family strengthening programme in
Madeleine discovered her HIV
positive status in 2002 after her husband's death. One year later she also
discovered that two of her children were HIV/AIDS infected. As she had no means
she was unable to take care of herself and the children. "I was alone to
assure our medical cares, feed the children, buy their school stationeries and
pay for their school fees. I felt like I was falling into a gulf because there
was nobody to assist me in this situation. I was wondering what was going to
happen to us. It was really very difficult for me", she said.
It was so difficult that Madeleine could not work because she was ill all
the time. She was living from day to day with the conviction that nothing will
change in her life. "I lost hope in everything,
knowing that there is no more sense in my life. I had no money and I had nobody
to help me. I knew that I could never take care of my family under these
circumstances. It was impossible and I did not even think of it", she said
while standing up to welcome her sister-in-law who just came from the village for
a family visit. The children also went to the visitor to receive the gifts that
she brought from the village. Madeleine came back with a smile, knowing that
her sister-in-law brought many presents.
"Today, my family's life has
changed so much. The fact of being supported by SOS Children brought so many
changes in our lives at home. Firstly, we are now able to eat well every day.
The food we receive monthly is very important because without it we wouldn't be
healthy and I wouldn't have the necessary force to work. Another very important
thing is that the children are able to go to school again. Before, they were
regularly expelled from their school for the lack of school stationeries and
school fees. Today, I am relieved because there are no more concerns on that
side. Their progress is good and they also have good results. We have easy and
free access to HIV treatment and opportunistic infections. We are less and less
ill, we are less sad now", she added.
Madeleine's health is improving
more and more and she has been able to restart some of her activities. She was
given an income generating project (selling of clothes) which allows her to
gain some money enabling her to face the small daily necessities of the family.
"At present, I have a lot of hope and I know that things will be getting
better for me. My family's condition is no longer a major concern for me as I
have a good and solid support. I thank SOS Children's Villages who think about
people like us, and I hope that they will always be present to restore our hope",
she said with a smile.
A great relief for the families
Paul has been diagnosed positive at the age of sixty-four. He lives with
Claire, his little eight-year-old daughter who is also infected with the
pandemic. Paul's wife died two years ago with one of the children following an HIV/AIDS
infection. Claire is the only remaining child.
The old man is tired and looks already weakened. With his daughter, he
has been living without income and practically in the open air "Life was
very difficult. We had no food, no medicines, not even a house. This house
practically collapsed, but we were obliged to stay inside because we did not
have anywhere else to go", he said while pointing to the roof with his
finger.
Paul and Claire have been assisted by the family strengthening programme
since 2005. The first action of the programme was the reconstruction of their
house with the collapsed roof and walls. Each month, they receive 10kg of
beans, 10kg of maize flour, sorghum, oil, fish, salt, sugar and boxes of milk.
They are also regularly provided with antiretroviral drugs and medicines for
opportunistic infections. "The food that we receive is a great help for us
because we can finally manage to eat every day. It is also very important because
it helps us to support the medicines which often have a lot of side effects",
the father said.
Twice a month co-workers from the programme visit the family for the follow-up
counselling. This is to help Paul and Claire to know why and how to take the
medicines every day, to understand, cope with, and accept their HIV positive
status.
Thanks to the family strengthening programme, Claire is able to go to
school again. She has never had such a chance before because there was nobody
to be engaged in her schooling. "Born HIV-positive, her mother died just
after she gave birth. I have always been living alone with her. We spent very
difficult moments as I am poor, old and ill. I never thought that she will go
to school one day because I wasn't able to satisfy her school needs. So, I
thank God for the big opportunity which was offered to her, enabling her to go
to school like the children of her age", Paul said by using his stick to try to stand
up.
Paul doesn't have enough force to lead a generative income activity.
Presently, his life depends on the programme and the help that he receives from
generous souls. "That I am still alive today is thanks to SOS Children to
whom I sincerely say thank you. You reconstructed my house, you feed me and I
am currently treated free of charge. You have been giving me all that is necessary for a man to live a decent life. But,
unfortunately, there is not much hope at my age because I can die any moment.
All my hope is based on Claire. I know that she can survive because at present
she has people who take care of her. She eats well, she goes to school and she
has easy access to medical care. These are all the necessary things that she has
missed since she was born", he added.
For
privacy reasons, we have changed the names of the persons involved in this text