Teresa

PULLING A FAMILY OUT OF CRISIS

Teresa contracted the HIV virus through her mother, who passed on, leaving Teresa in the care of her paternal grandmother in a one-room thatched house in Trans Nzoia County in the western part of Kenya. Her siblings remained in separate foster families.

Teresa’s circumstances are all too common, and the reason AMPATH reaches beyond care to provide help for families and children to survive and thrive when disease devastates their family.

Teresa is one of the over 6,000 paediatric clients receiving HIV care and treatment. In addition to the clinical care and free ARV medication she has been receiving since 2015 at an AMPATH-supported government facility, Teresa is also a beneficiary of the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) program.

The program offers every eligible HIV infected or affected child within AMPATH catchment area access to education, protection, shelter, food security, psychosocial support, medical care and economic security.

As such, a social worker worked with Teresa’s family to assess their social needs to provide an environment that supports Teresa’s growth, health and learning. Donations pay for her school fees, uniform and other school supplies.

To ensure she doesn’t miss her clinic appointments, the program also supports her caregiver with transportation. Teresa’s older siblings are also enrolled and receiving support from the OVC program, and the family is on the path to reunification, all thanks to donors, caregivers, and dedicated community volunteers.