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Abandoned
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| Some of the children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS who are being cared for at F.V.S/AMADE in Bujumbura. Photo: UBS/Francois Sieberhagen (BUR06DJ-61.JPG) |
BURUNDI — “We help young people who are infected and affected by HIV/AIDS,” says Spes Nihangaza, head of F.V.S/AMADE – Burundi. This NGO’s slogan is: ‘To protect a child is to prepare the future’.
“We are funded by the National Council against AIDS in Burundi,” Mrs Nihangaza explains. “We also work with other organisations to try to take care of the nearly 250,000 children who are either infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. But we can only serve the needs of around 15,000 children by supplying services such as education, clothing, medical care and vocational training.
“We ourselves run two transit centres (temporary orphanages), one in Bujumbura, where 36 children live, and one in Gitega in the north of the country. The purpose of these centres is to try to link children with other family members. We would like to reintegrate them into a family structure after the death of their parents. The same applies to abandoned children. We take children as young as two years old. At 16, they have to leave and find other accommodation.
“We use the Good Samaritan material to help teach our children what has happened to them and why. We also use Scripture Selections to encourage them. Our staff, who are devoted Christians, help these children to come closer to God and to resist temptations.”
Protect myself
Some of the older children share their experiences after reading the booklet Where is the Good Samaritan Today?
Kevin (10) has learned a simple but essential lesson. “I know now how to protect myself from the virus. I don’t want to get infected. I have to be careful. I have also shared this with some of my friends at school.”
For Immaculée,12, it was a real learning experience to read the Where is the Good Samaritan Today? booklet. “I learned how to protect myself and also how to assist somebody who is infected. I was very interested in reading about the food that infected people should eat to keep healthy. I have also learned how to live close to and comfort those infected.”
Amazed
The role of this booklet as an information-sharing tool is underlined by Olivier (16). “I was amazed when I learned about all the different ways people can get infected. I was under the impression it was only through sex. The book has really educated me. I have also seen in my community how alcohol changes people’s normal behaviour. Now I understand why.”
This report refers to projects 73103 and 73112. (WR 403/4 - 07.06) [4 photos]