Tapiwa Gomo, International Federation
“The harvest was poor this year because of erratic rains,” says 82-year-old Godfrey Mwila. “I am getting tired now but I am left with little choice but to work in the field.” Mr Mwila has no choice because he is responsible for five great grandchildren.
Living in Kapiri Mposhi, about 200 kilometres north west of Lusaka in Zambia, Mr Mwila’s life has been turned upside down by AIDS. “My eight children all passed away,” he explains as tears slowly run down his face. “Some left children but all 10 of my grandchildren died too. Now I am left with five great grandchildren to look after.”
Kapiri Mposhi lies at the junction of the rail and road network from Tanzania. As a key transit point, the area attracted an influx of commercial sex workers, fanning the spread of disease. AIDS has claimed many thousands of lives among the population of 270,000 and the prevalence rate is estimated at over 17%. Poverty levels are high and likely to increase as the railway, once a major employer, cuts back services in the face of falling demand.
Mr Mwila sold most of his property trying to save his children by sending them for treatment. Then disease took all his cattle some years ago. Today, he is left with next to nothing. At an age when he might reasonably have expected to be looked after by his family, Mr Mwila somehow has to find the money for school fees and, more difficult, grow food for himself, his wife and five children.
“After every harvest, we pick up some leftovers or ask the children to work for our neighbours,” he says. “I only hope that someone somewhere will bring me fertilizer so that we can grow crops and harvest enough for ourselves. I don’t want the children to become beggars. I teach them to listen so that they live longer and become successful in life.”
Supported by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and other donors such as the Swedish Red Cross, the Zambian Red Cross is currently supplying Mr Mwila and his family with clothing, food and other essential supplies. The aim is to ensure that the children are fed and able to continue with their education.
The ‘orphans and vulnerable children support’ project is part of the broader home-based care programme. This started in 2004 with 40 orphans but now caters for 340 and the numbers continue to rise as more and more people succumb to the pandemic.
“It is imperative that we direct our efforts towards supporting orphan and other vulnerable children holistically in order to save the future of our country,” explains Dr Moses Simuyemba, health and care coordinator for the Zambian Red Cross. “These children need us and they need our support. We cannot look away while they struggle alone. They need us to give them hope.”
Millions of orphaned and vulnerable children and elderly people face similar situations in southern Africa. This region has the highest HIV prevalence in the world and the younger generation is being decimated, leaving the very young to face a journey through childhood filled with challenges and risk. For now, at least, the Mwila young have a great grandfather to care for them – but he also needs help.
In October 2006, the International Federation launched an appeal for USD 300 million to fund its new five-year HIV plan. A key part of this is to provide support and care to some 500,000 orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.