14.11.05 PEPAIDS Update
PEPAIDS has been making great strides supporting its sister company
and newly registered NGO - SAPEP - in its efforts to prevent the
spread of HIV in Zambia and improve the living conditions and
medical/counselling support of sufferers. PEPAIDS continues to
support local educational initiatives and provides salaries for
SAPEP workers whilst visits from UK PEPAIDS volunteers throughout
the year provide motivation
and local credibility that is essential to SAPEP's continued effectiveness.
In May of this year SAPEP won a competition run by the World Bank
for its anti-AIDS initiatives. From over 500 entries world-wide,
SAPEP was one of only 18 NGOs to receive the top prize. Since
then, SAPEP has continued to gain national and international interest.
This August SAPEP formally started the process of working with the Dutch Government to bring mobile HIV testing clinics and antiretroviral (ARV) therapy to the rural communities. This is hugely significant as it brings new hope to people in these areas. The mobile clinics will visit commercial farms and offer on-the-spot HIV testing and counselling to the labour force and their families (totalling around 25,000 in the Monze and Mazabuka districts alone). Those who are HIV positive and eligible for treatment will then be given ARV therapy.
"Since it started, PEPAIDS funds have been raised almost entirely through events and small donations. Regular donors such as the One Percent Scheme have been invaluable to us as a small charity in keeping us going and helping us plan our development.'' (PEPAIDS mail to us Nov '05)
Spectacular results: Since PEPAIDS started funding SAPEP, teenage
pregnancy has been reduced by almost half in one area of operation
and regular attendance at SAPEP anti-AIDS clubs has increased
from less than 2% of the total local population to more then 25%.
For further information about PEPAIDS and SAPEP click here.