In Ethiopia alone, nearly 1.2 million people are diagnosed as HIV-AIDS positive.
Children with HIV-AIDS in Ethiopia
HIV-AIDS is one of the most common causes of death among children under 5. In Ethiopia, 90,000 HIV-positive pregnant women are expecting to give birth to 14,000 HIV-positive newborns annually. Without proper education and the right treatment, most of these newborns end up dead.
Lack of proper education and medication against HIV is something Africa has yet to address up until now. The sheer ignorance and denial of previous governments led to the rampant spread of the virus in Africa.
An unexpected sanctuary
Ethiopia, one of the most affected areas in Africa with the least availability of health care and education drives to fight against the widespread of the virus.
In the town of Shashamane, HIV-positive children have found their refuge and comfort. This sanctuary is Yawenta Center; it provides free education and medical treatment for more than 100 vulnerable children in the area.
Berenice Morizeau, a French woman along with 20 local staffs help hand in hand to run the center. “The project was initiated right when the government started to make the anti-retroviral treatment applicable to children”.
“Here, we want to start a good foundation with the children at a very young age. The lack of education is one of the main reasons that children HIV-positive succumb to the virus.”
The center provides free medication, proper food, and lessons on proper hygiene to the children. We cannot assure if they follow their home medications and proper nutrition, which is why we always make the most of what we can do by the time the children are at the center.
Education and Practical skills are the tools for survivability
As educators, we want the children to be educated on the things affecting the personal, physical and mental state. We educate them on HIV and how to fight against the virus. HIV might not be curable for now, but it is controllable. The treatment is meant to protect them from the virus medically, while we protect them from the stigma that people might throw at them being HIV-positives.
The center is largely inspired by the Montessori system. Aside from basic education, children in the center are being taught about other lively activities such as sports, music, and livelihood.
The practical skills that these children learn will be a great tool for them in their future. We do hope that there is a high chance that majority of these children could go to Universities, but at the poverty level of this country, we still hope for the best, at least use those skills to fuel their drive to succeed.
International community playing a big role in the fight against HIV
Help from the international community is continuously pouring in for Ethiopia. Share awareness, save a life.
Ending my week in #Vienna. A briefing from the @UNODC HIV/AIDS Section. Positive discussions on moving forward technical assistance activities in #Ethiopia regarding #HIV among people who use #drugs and also people in #prisons. #ENDAIDS #SDG3 #humanrights @Amado_de_Andres pic.twitter.com/vqDd8HNNUN
— Margaret Akullo (@MargsAkullo) September 14, 2019
