PROJECT: "AIDS children"

Chirundu - Zambia

In Zambia, 20% of the population is seropositive.
In the valley of Zambesi there is Chirundu, a 9.000 inhabitants village located along one of the main roads crossing the central and southern Africa. This position makes the area particularly prone to AIDS diffusion, and Chirundu hospital has become a reference point for a population of about 50.000 persons.

Our projects aims to create an AIDS Division in the Chirundu missionary hospital: the intervention will benefit in particular seropositive pregnant women, mothers and their children by focusing on preventing the virus transmission from mothers to children by means of antiretroviral drugs. This dramatically reduces the risk that infants will be born infected.
With 11 euros a baby can be saved.

Besides prevention, the Chirundu hospital foresees the treatment of terminal patients and a contribution to reduce the number of infections, thus promoting better health conditions for all the people living in the area. Further activities needed to prevent the infection diffusion are the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases and the creation of a counselling and voluntary test service, together with diagnosis and cure of opportunistic illnesses.

Project value 15,500 euros:
1. HIV test to 2,500 women: 10,000 euros (4 euros/each)
2. Treatment for 500 seropositive women and their children: 5,500 euros (11 euros/each)