Integrated Community Assistance to Families and Children affected by HIV/AIDS in Sofala

Building on experience of community health and social work in the provinces of Gaza, Manica and Sofala over the past five years, Terre des hommes has commenced in 2005 a new integrated project of community-based assistance for adults and children infected and/or affected by HIV/AIDS in the two districts of Buzi and Cheringoma, Sofala Province Mozambique.

Working in partnership with both the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Women and Social Action, Tdhl combines its community-based approach to the care and support of orphaned children with training and support for women’s health groups, volunteer health promoters and village health workers already formed under an earlier phase of work. The aim is to build integrated community health networks managed by Community Management Committees, assisted and trained by Tdh and government health and social work personnel. The Committees, comprising both formal and informal community leaders, will assume responsibility and oversight for the care and protection of orphaned children in substitute families and ensure that individuals suffering from AIDS-related illnesses and infections have access to simple home-based care, psycho-social support and medical services wherever possible, and, when needed and requested. Over the life of the project from 2005 to 2008, Tdh will assist up to 250 families caring for orphaned children and as many as 1,500 seropositive individuals.