Caring for the carers in Zambia
21 November 2008
Mrs
Matakala is the proud owner of a one-room, iron-roofed hut. "Whatever
happens, at least I have a roof over my
head," she says, proud to welcome guests into her home. That she still has a home
at all, given the trials of recent years, is thanks to a
DFID-funded programme run by CARE International.
Mrs Matakala lives in Mambova village, Kazungula district, an hour's drive from Zambia’s tourist capital Livingstone. A trained home-based carer since 2004, through the CARE project she supported members of her own community who were chronically ill, many of them with HIV/AIDS, helping to bathe and feed them and ensuring they took their medication. It was demanding work, but rewarding.
The carer needs care
Then, in 2006, Mrs Matakala herself tested positive for HIV. Unable to work, and living with a 17-year-old dependent, she had no means of support. Fortunately, the very home-based care scheme she had once worked for came to her aid.
Placed on the project's safety net programme, she received food supplements,
four pigs, maize seed and fertiliser, and a treadle pump. The pigs multiplied
until she had 40, which were sold to buy the iron sheets for her hut. She also
now has a healthy-looking corn crop. "Hunger is at bay," she says.
Within a year of starting on the programme, this fiercely determined woman had regained her weight and
some of her health and was back working as a
home-based carer. Not ashamed to disclose her HIV status, Mrs Matakala is now warmly accepted as
a carer in Mambova, with many of her clients able to closely identify with her. She has also become a member of
the Network of Zambian People Living With AIDS (NZP+), regularly taking part in support
group activities. "Without the CARE programme, I'd be dead," she reflects.
Open about AIDS
Located on the banks of the Zambezi River, Mambova has strong trade links with
Botswana and Namibia. But its location is a mixed blessing: the large numbers of
traders flowing through the village mean it has a high rate
of HIV prevalence for a rural community.
By encouraging villagers to go for voluntary counselling and testing early, the care project is working to prevent the further spread of the virus through the village. Any person feeling sick is advised to take an HIV test and, if the test is positive, start antiretroviral treatment immediately.
For all of those identified as HIV-positive, there are food supplements and work provided through the same safety net programme that helped Mrs Matakala. As a result of this level of help and support, recovery rates in Mambova are remarkable.
Also striking is the villagers' lack of secrecy about their HIV status. Members of the NZP+ support groups freely announce their status and persuade others to go for testing and treatment. Only by bringing HIV out into the open can the fear and ignorance be defeated that fuel Zambia's AIDS epidemic.
Facts and stats
- Around 1 million Zambians are HIV-positive, and there are approximately 100,000 HIV-related deaths in the country each year.
- Higher HIV prevalence (21%) is found in urban areas.
- 170,000 people are now accessing antiretroviral treatment.
- The Home Based Care initiative is part of the Positive Living component of the £10 million Partnership Programme Arrangement (PPA) between DFID and CARE.
- Home-based care is a crucial component of the the country's AIDS response. Having patients seen and supported at community level by trained care givers not only relieves the health system, but addresses the stigma and discrimination which prevent sufferers seeking early care.
- A £20 million DFID programme is channelling money and technical assistance to the Zambian Government, NGOs, businesses and communities.
