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Hear Our Stories
Sadate is 11 years old and is the star of his school's soccer team...
Sadate Abdou, 11, loves soccer. However he ran for the first time in his life at the age of ten. Sadate was born with HIV. After both his father and mother passed away, Sadate moved in with his elderly grandmother, in the village of Koumonde, 30 km from Kara. Sadate weighed roughly 25 lbs when he first arrived at HTH's clinic in January 2006. After being hospitalized for over a month, Sadate began antiretroviral therapy.
Sadate responded positively to antiretroviral therapy. He now lives with the Vice-President of AED-Lidaw, in close proximity to his doctors and HTH's clinic in Kara. Sadate began school for the first time just over one year ago and is now an dedicated student and an avid soccer player.
Elyse is 7 years old and loves to play with her sisters...
Elyse Konga is seven years old and lives in the village of Yade 15 km from Kara, where HTH's clinic is located. Elyse was born with HIV and lost both her father and mother when she was very young. Now she and her two sisters live with her uncle and his other fifteen children. Elyse's uncle is a subsistence farmer who struggles to provide a bare minimum of food and care for his large family.
Elyse is currently awaiting a government-sponsored voucher, which will enable her to receive free antiretroviral therapy. In addition to medical care, HTH/AED-Lidaw provide Elyse with school supplies and nutritional assistance. However, this support is minimal when spread among her 15 siblings. Elyse enjoys spending time with her sister and the other children at AED-Lidaw. She hopes that her health will improve soon.
Boris, 6, and Lorel, 8, are brothers who love school
Boris Bona, 6, is pictured here with his brother Lorel, 8. Boris was born with HIV and receives government-subsidized antiretroviral therapy. Lorel is not infected with HIV. Boris and Lorel lost both their father and mother to AIDS. They lived with their maternal grandmother until she passed away in May 2007. The boys then moved in with their only remaining family member, an aunt who is only 17 years old.
Vero, an accompagnateur with HTH/AED-Lidaw, visits the family at least twice a week to ensure that Boris is taking his medicine. She also strives to encourage, support, and offer parenting tips to his young aunt. Boris and Lorel both attend school and work hard to be good students.
Baby Deborah, now 3, is the pride and joy of her aunt Rose...
Rose was the first AED-Lidaw member to begin antiretroviral therapy with the help of HTH. When Rose's sister Francine became pregnant, Rose referred her to HTH/AED-Lidaw for an HIV test. Francine tested positive. Francine then became the first patient to participate in HTH/AED-Lidaw's prevention of mother to child transmission program. Both Francine and Baby Deborah received medication to reduce the likelihood of HIV transmission at birth.
Deborah, now 3, is HIV negative. A thoughtful child, Deborah is the pride and joy of her mother Francine, her aunt Rose and the entire HTH/AED-Lidaw family. When Deborah is not being doted on in the clinic she loves playing with her older brother, Espoir. Francine receives government-subsidized antiretroviral therapy and strongly encourages all pregnant women to be tested for HIV. Rose is a trained community health worker and counselor at HTH/AED-Lidaw.
Yvonne, 14, looks like a normal teenager but is the head of her household...
Yvonne is second in her class, a member of her school's theater club and an avid dancer. However, unlike her peers, Yvonne never knew her father and recently lost her mother to AIDS. She has four younger siblings and, at age 14, serves as the head of her family.
Yvonne does all of the things that any typical big sister would do - dresses up her little sisters, tells stories, wrestles with her brother, and laughs all the time. However because there are no parents, Yvonne has also taken on the responsibility of making sure her siblings get to school, eat well, have clean clothes, and receive medical care when needed. Also every morning and every evening Yvonne makes sure that her two youngest sisters, Massan and Ruth, take their antiretroviral therapy. The girls are both HIV+ and cannot live without their medicine. Yvonne is only 14 but she transitions fluidly from an adolescent to an adult who is adept at caring for sick kids.
Yvonne wants to be a doctor when she 'grows up'. She's seen the help that her family has received from HTH/AED-Lidaw and in turn she wants to help others in need.
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