|
|
The Anglican Church in Tasmania Search |
|
a healthy church...transformingLIFE |
|
|
|
|
|
February 2007 |
|||
|
|
||||
HIV/AIDS ChallengeAngliCORD, an Australian, Anglican overseas relief and development agency, began a partnership with the St James' Mission Hospital in a remote mountain region of Lesotho. In 1991 the first patient was diagnosed with HIV at the Hospital and AngliCORD made a small grant of $5,000 to respond to this new challenge. HIV and AIDS has quickly spread across Lesotho, and the partnership between AngliCORD and the St James' team has grown into a community-based HIV and AIDS care and prevention program reaching out into the remote villages. Over a three year period, the number of people seeking voluntary counselling and testing has increased by 67%. There has also been a decrease in the diagnosis of sexually transmitted diseases of 63%. New challengesWith the Government of Lesotho now providing anti-retroviral medication, a new challenge has emerged for HIV-positive people in poor communities. Although medication is free, no funding is provided for essential tests required as part of the antiretroviral therapy (ART) regime. 'In Lesotho, it costs approximately $50 every six months for HIV-positive people to continue with AFT - a huge amount of money for those living in remote communities,' Beth says. AngliCORD needs support for this important outreach program. $100 will enable a HIV-positive person to access essential tests and care through St James' Mission Hospital for a whole year. AngliCORD and the Australian Government agency for International Development, AusAID, have been able to provide more that $260,000 for this program, with much of the home-based care and campaigning undertaken by volunteers and people who are HIV positive.
For more information or to support this life-giving program, contact AngliCORD on Freecall: 1800 249 880, email or visit the website. |
|
|||
