Global Strategies for HIV Prevention

Newsletter - October 2008

Nutrition Project Follow-Up


Making the correct decision is not easy even when faced with predictable government instability and economic volatility. When events become unpredictable, it becomes even more difficult. Looking back on our decision earlier this year to try to develop locally sustainable nutrition programs for our HIV infected orphans and vulnerable children, it appears that we were on the right track.
 
In our last newsletter we highlighted some of the issues. We knew that the potent antiretroviral drugs do not work well in children without adequate nutrition. We knew that commercially available supplemental food products raised issues of controlling escalating costs and we knew that importing supplemental food products would be susceptible to importation restrictions. This piece of news from Heal Africa in Goma, Congo confirmed the wisdom of the decision.
 
From Lyn Lusi, HEAL Africa, Goma, Congo:
 

World Food Program is completely out of food, and the supply lines through Bunagana (Rwanguba Zone) are now cut.  We have received no World Food Program food for our patients for two months. We are asking God to intervene.
 
To address these issues, the Lotoba nutrition project was initiated at our partner Hope Feeds Mixingorganization, HEAL Africa, to reduce the cost of life sustaining food supplementation, provide training in local food production, and overcome concerns about importation. The decision could not have been timelier with the sudden unexpected worldwide financial crisis that doubled food costs in less than three months. As we obtain more financial support we hope to expand the production of our pilot plant.
 
So there is some good news among the bad.
 
We received some more good news from our partner HEAL Africa in Goma, Congo regarding income generation for women requiring fistula repair surgery. The women who are discussed below are those suffering form traumatic fistulas at the hands of rapists, who are cared for at HEAL Africa. The rate of HIV infection and other sexually transmitted infections is high in these women. See www.HopeQuilts.org.
 
From Cristina Edelstein, HEAL Africa, Goma, Congo:
 
1,000 baby dolls for CNEC  Australia  are finished!  This week the women will be finishing painting the faces on them. The women have had a blast working on them these last two months. Really, this order was kind of a gift to them and HEALing Arts, because we had so many extras that arrived for fistula surgery, and because of this order, the women were able to make money while they waited for surgery and recovery. We had 142 active participants at HEALing Arts on the hospital grounds during the month of September! Each morning, one of our seamstresses would go to the post-op rooms and drop off the pieces of materials to be sewn by hand into the body parts, mostlFistula Repair Sewingy in August during the surgery period.
 
September was spent stuffing the hands, feet and head with sawdust, as well as making the hair for each doll. It's just been so encouraging to see the energy of these women. Since I arrived back on my vacation, they keep asking me- What will we be sewing now?We are almost done with the baby dolls! Chelsea, my new colleague who took over Harper's place, and I are working on a Christmas catalog with items that can be ordered. We will have HEALing Arts friends host parties and have people order, both gifts and "stocking stuffers." We have started making jewelry as well! I think this will be a great step for increasing production, sales and awareness of HEAL Africa and HEALing Arts.
 

Arthur J. Ammann MD, President
Global Strategies for HIV Prevention