Peterkins Manyong
10 December 2007
Seventy-seven HIV carriers in Bamenda Friday, December 7, received gifts, mainly nourishing food items. They were also praised for holding their heads high, despite the stigma that goes with the disease.
The gesture was made by a volunteer charity organisation for destitute orphans, widows and street children in Cameroon, AID International-Christian Women of Vision, AI-Chris WOV.
In an address, Mrs. Anne Stella Fomumbod, Executive President of the organisation, praised the 'courage brothers' and 'dynamic sisters', as these infected persons are called for their bravery and open participation at this year's World AIDS Day.
She recalled how active, devoted and trustworthy these people were. They paid back the loans they received for instance, and encouraged others to go for voluntary testing.
It was because of this, Fomumbod said, that AI-ChrisWOV had decided to enable them enjoy Christmas like everybody else. She called on all present to assist the "vision children" a group of 25 infected children below 10 years.
Besides food assistance to the infected persons, Fomumbod awarded prizes to hardworking staff. She was grateful to the German Development Organisation, DED and the German Embassy among others that assisted the organisation.
The Project Coordinator of the organisation, Mrs. Cherry Charry, praised OSIWA and CARE, volunteers who helped in funding the victims, but stopped in 2006 while may more infected people were still knocking on the door asking for support.
She said the infected persons had been given education on a number of issues like living with the disease, anti-stigma, human rights, home management and partner relationships. The infected persons, she said, now hold regular bi-weekly meetings and pay home visits.
Challenges
The main challenges AI-Chris WOV is facing, Fomumbod said are lack of funding, lack of nutritional support to children, lack of effective care, no money for positive prevention, inability to produce educational materials and lack of ability to provide effective psychosocial support.
But their greatest problem, she said, was their inability to get funds to fight stigma. Stigma, she said, kills the morale and the will to move on.She, however, said plans are underway to carry out anti-stigma campaigns throughout the Northwest with the infected persons themselves leading the campaigns because they know where the shoe pinches.
Infected Persons Speak
Besides acting a drama on how to live positively with HIV/AIDS, some of the infected persons gave testimonies. Angeline Sama, 39, Financial Secretary for the group, told The Post that her husband who died seven years ago infected her. "I only started treatment two years ago.Today, I am fine," she said.
George Awambeng, 60, who is the President of the men's Group called Courage Brothers, said he discovered he was HIV positive when he fell ill and went for consultation. Since then he has been following the doctor's prescription.
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