Our Initiatives - HIV/AIDS
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| Samual Onyango of Oyugis, Kenya and his family. Samual is able to send his younger siblings to school after his parents died of AIDS and can now provide for his wife and children as a productive farmer. |
AIDS is a particular threat to food security, due to the loss of the most economically able and productive members of a society. Uninfected family members, sometimes school age children, must also sacrifice to care for those infected.
This brings a double burden of the loss of present human capital and future social, economic and political transformation and stability. This health and social epidemic, often times, affects farmer communities and groups receiving assistance from Heifer.
Recent evidence concerning the nutritional needs of people living with HIV/AIDS reiterates the important role Heifer can play in the fight against this global health and social development pandemic. Nutrition is essential to the continued survival of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and by providing adequate nutrition and balanced diets they will improve and sustain their quality of life.
Through assistance from Heifer, the gift of livestock will provide milk and much needed animal source protein to the diet of those infected, as well as their families. In addition, the sale of excess animal products can provide cash to purchase supplementary food for well-balanced diets and for pertinent medicines. Involving communities in sustainable agriculture opportunities allows them dignified options for economic growth and survival.
The most recent data from the United Nations indicate the need to direct our efforts in a global context. The growth of HIV prevalence in the poorest regions and communities of the world underlines our need to deliver support to mitigate the scourge, stigma and economic chaos produced by this devastating pandemic.
Heifer’s Africa Area Program has made great strides throughout the last decade to address HIV/AIDS within its work. However, Heifer has recognized the need to scale up efforts throughout all area programs including the America’s, Asia/South Pacific, and Central Eastern Europe Area Programs.
This includes our global external mainstreaming approach that seeks to scale-up HIV/AIDS animal sourced nutrition; sustainable livelihoods in the livestock sector for orphans and their care givers; ability to monitor impact through monitoring, planning and evaluation; and partnership support among organizations providing voluntary testing and counseling, anti-retroviral treatment, AIDS awareness education inclusive to stigma/discrimination.
Our internal mainstreaming efforts includes studying best practices of other organizations who have established HIV/AIDS human resources policies for staff and making such options a reality for field and Headquarters staff which provides confidentiality, referral and counseling, and adequate health coverage for staff and their families.
The results thus far of Heifer’s work with those living with HIV/AIDS have bore true success stories. Families have an opportunity to stay together, live longer and healthier lives and give project partners a chance for dignity and a sustainable future.
View a video about one of our project partners who was helped through our HIV/AIDS initiative.
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