Hoops of Hope

2008 Project:

In 2007, Hoops of Hope participants raised over $200,000. This went to build a medical testing lab and voluntary counseling center in Sinazongwe, Zambia. We were also able to provide the lab with 1,000 care giver kits for those who cannot make it to the lab/clinic.

In 2008, because of the overwhelming need for AIDS testing and treatment, Hoops of Hope plans to raise enough funds to build a SECOND medical testing lab, clinic and voluntary counseling center in Chilala, Zambia. The focus and specialty of this clinic will be the prevention of mother to child AIDS transmission. All the details on this clinic can be found below:

Area Overview:

Chilala, like any other places in Zambia, has experienced the challenges of the AIDS pandemic. There has been an increase in the death rate due to AIDS related diseases, and this community has also seen an exponential increase of orphans and vulnerable children. The pandemic has also propagated an increase in the number of child headed households. The aged are left with the responsibility of looking after the orphans and/or caring for the chronically ill parents. The area in which the project is located has also been hard hit with poor rains in the recent past contributing to the vulnerability of this community at large.

The Twachiyanda Area Development Project (ADP) is embedded in Chief Chikanta’s area in Kalomo district. The chiefdom is 120km North West of Choma town of Southern region of Zambia. The ADP is divided into 15 center or zones. The area experiences two significant seasons; the rainy season, which last for a period of 4 – 5 months from November to March, and the cold and dry season which last for 6 – 7 months from April to October. The annual average temperature is 27 degrees Celsius. The area is flat land with most of the land covered with grassland and scattered woodlands.

The inhabitants of this area are the Tonga speaking people. 95% of the estimated 37, 000 people in the ADP are traditionally subsistence farmers. They grow maize (corn) for domestic consumption and a little for sale. They also grow cotton for sale, though on a low scale. They also keep livestock (cattle, goats and chicken) which they use for labor (cattle) and a source of protein. The economic situation in this community is not good because of the poor rains in the last two rainy seasons. The members of this community traditionally live in small households of extended families separated by varying distances. Families are scattered in this manner so they will have enough grazing land for their livestock and fields for their crops. This community’s economic and social position leaves it vulnerable and the burden of looking after the chronically ill increases by the day.

The Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) clinic project represents great hope for this community. This project will directly benefit 9,000 women of child bearing age and more than 1,200 children below the age of one. This project will also indirectly benefit 5,000 church and Faith Based Organization (FBO) members and 8,000 school going children. Schools will be actively involved in the implementation of the HIV&AIDS prevention strategy.

Clinic Project Details

The PMTCT clinic project is aimed at improving the already existing public health institution. This project will be sustained by the Zambia ministry of health.

The project has three major themes:

1) Prevention

This is the core of the project as it aims at reducing the transmission of HIV from mother to child. This will be done through education during maternal child health services performed at the clinic. Besides education, pregnant mothers who test positive for the virus will be supported through the formation of support groups and provided with relevant drugs which inhibit the transmission of the HIV to the unborn child. Breast feeding infected mothers alike would be encouraged to choose best possible ways of infant feeding to prevent the mother to child transmission of HIV.

2) Care

People living with HIV are still very uncomfortable to freely talk about their status due to the stigma attached to HIV&AIDS. The project is designed to create a positive environment for people living with HIV&AIDS. This requires well trained psycho social counselors to assist the mothers. The project plans to introduce support groups for pregnant and breast feeding mothers. The project will also use the already available Home-Based Caregivers to provide care at home for the terminally ill clients. The clinic will refer patients to Caregivers and provide the medical and other logistics for the provision of care at home. These clients will also be supported with supplementary foods if unable to provide adequate food.

3) Advocacy

Church leaders who have been trained can advocate for the adoption of safer behavioral practices by the church and community members where they come from. Women in the churches who have been trained in advocacy can provide healthy counseling to young people planning to marry. The influence exerted by church leaders will also narrow the cultural practices of not talking about issues of sexuality with young people openly.

Pregnant mothers with unknown HIV status will be counseled and offered HIV testing to have their maternal HIV status established. Blood tests and analysis will be done at the Chilala clinic once the laboratory facility is fully equipped. HIV testing services will be provided to all consenting mothers and their spouses and the prevention of mother to child transmission services will be offered to all HIV positive clients. All HIV positive clients will be further counseled on an appropriate treatment regimen; medication dosing; expected outcomes and drug side effects. Active male involvement will be promoted as spouses play a vital role in decision making on reproductive issues and the follow up support for the baby and mother after delivery.

All mothers will be educated on all feeding options using the available foods. Mothers opting to breast-feed their infants will be counseled. Infants will be tested for HIV as soon as possible after birth. If negative, testing will be repeated at regular intervals. If positive, the test will be repeated at the next scheduled testing time in order to confirm a positive conversion.

Results of all HIV testing and treatment results will be recorded and forwarded to the District Health Office. During treatment, the mother and baby will be monitored on a weekly basis for issues of side effects and compliance. Patients developing complications may be referred to a hospital for specialized care. Opportunistic infections will be treated according to standard Ministry of Health protocols.

All clients participating in the prevention of mother to child transmission will be provided with on going family unit support including:
-    Psychosocial counseling and support in promotion of positive living;
-    Spiritual care and support;
-    ARVs for mother/spouse and child depending on stage of HIV/AIDS disease;
-    Nutritional care for the baby and
-    Continued HIV/AIDS awareness to prevent new HIV infections in the community.

By providing medical laboratories and clinics, those who are ill are able to get quick and effective HIV/AIDS testing, begin drug therapy and other treatments. This helps prolong the lives of moms and dads and helps keep children from becoming orphans.

In addition to the medical lab / clinic, we would like to supply the lab with Care Giver Kits. Our partner, World Vision, has mobilized volunteers throughout Zambia, and the rest of the world, to provide compassionate support to people living with AIDS. These hardworking volunteers offer physical and emotional support to affected households in their communities, while family members - many of them children-sacrifice everything to care for sick mothers, fathers and other relatives. Too many of these volunteers lack the basic supplies they need to safely and effectively minister to the sick. Care Giver Kits bring joy and practical help to caregivers by providing them with basic supplies to improve and prolong the lives of those living with AIDS. Total for 1,000 care giver kits will be approximately $30,000 USD.

Lastly, we would like to provide bicycles for the caregivers through World Vision's partnership with World Bicycle Relief. Bicycles, as as tools of simple sustainable mobility, more then quadruple the caregiver's ability to reach those in need and allow them to travel greater distances more quickly, with less fatigue, while carrying significantly more supplies. This results in better and more frequent healthcare and education for more people at a lower cost, and enables the volunteers to better care for their own needs. Total for 1000 bicycles will be approximately $110,000 USD. To read about the impact bicycles are having in Zambia, click here: http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/10/30/436585.aspx

Budget for 2008 fundraising efforts:

PMTCT Medical Lab/Clinic, Counseling Center $322,000 USD

1,000 Medical Caregiver Kits $ 30,000 USD

1,000 Bicycles $110,000 USD

Total Cost $462,000 USD

AIDS Caregiver in Zambia - Holding her remote medical kit