Improving Quality of Life for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Haiti
Villanova, PA, September 21, 2009 — In Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere, 80% of the population lives under the poverty line of $1.25/day. Amidst a lack of potable water and reliable infrastructure, political instability and economic turmoil live 120,000 people with HIV, of those, more than 6800 are between ages 0-17 years. Such is the workplace of Dr. Leonardo Shamamba.
Dr. Shamamba, a Congolese physician working as the HIV and AIDS Reach Out Coordinator in Port -Au-Prince for Catholic Relief Services (CRS), was speaking to the Villanova community as part of the Villanova University College of Nursing’s 15th Annual Health & Human Values Lecture Series: Promoting Human Dignity Throughout the Lifespan. He was invited to campus through Villanova’s relationship with CRS to address “Improving Quality of Life for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in Haiti” on September 21st. Dr. Shamamba advised the Villanova Nursing students to not only follow universal precautions when caring for populations such as those in Haiti, but to also “have compassion.”
Before becoming the HIV and AIDS Reach Out Coordinator in Haiti for CRS, Dr. Shamamba successfully developed similar programs in Uganda, Somalia and his native Democratic Republic of Congo. While progress has been made for clinical care and treatment of HIV in Haiti, disparities between institutional and community services limit the effectiveness of care. CRS addresses these challenges with a Community Support and Care Program by reinforcing community personnel capacity to address the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and OVC.
For PLWHA, CRS integrates individuals, families and communities. There is a continuum of care involving counseling, job training, income generating opportunities, peer support, educational activities, home visits, antenatal care, transportation fees for treatment, antiretroviral therapy, transit houses, food rations and hygiene kits including chlorine tablets to improve the drinking water.
In the OVC program, CRS takes a holistic view of the care of children, including schooling, nutrition, life skills, psychosocial support and legal support. Their program for education supports school fees, supplies, uniforms, and involves follow up in the schools. In aiding malnourished children, CRS integrates supplementation food and micronutrients, follow up in the community, and deworming. Children also benefit from recreation programs, youth clubs, life skills teaching and self-esteem builders. They are protected through assistance in will writing for families to ensure they receive valuables when a family member dies, and through the provision of birth certificates so they can later find work.
For more information about the 15th Annual Health & Human Values Lecture Series: Promoting Human Dignity Throughout the Lifespan, visit: http://www.villanova.edu/nursing/newsevents/events/lecture.htm.
For more information on Catholic Relief Services, visit http://www.crs.org.
