ADVANCE #140161 - AIDS ORPHANS AND COMMUNITY HEALTH, MAUA HOSPITAL
Aids Orphans project was established in response to the needs of the increasing numbers of AIDS Orphans within the region that the hospital serves. Many AIDS Orphans children are in desperate circumstances. The hospital is reaching out to them to share the Love of Jesus Christ by helping to care for their basic needs and to give them hope for a better life. Currently our AIDS Orphans are being assisted through the program to attend school, paying for school uniforms, school fees, and basic supplies. Guardians and AIDS orphans need to be empowered in food security for the future – when there is not enough food in the home, AIDS Orphans may end up on the streets. We give them hope for the future through our witness & practical help. Many pregnant mothers don’t access prenatal care, either because they do not have the money or because they do not understand the importance of antenatal care. Many children do not receive immunizations for childhood preventable diseases because of lack of parental education. This leads to children dying from preventable diseases. Many children experience worm infestation from lack of available local healthcare and education. Lack of family planning leads to unplanned pregnancies and large families which are difficult to care for financially. Non-communicable diseases are rapidly increasing, especially diabetes & hypertension with changes in diet & lifestyle. Screening & education on these diseases need to be carried out at community level. People in the remote rural areas in our hospital catchment area have little access to high quality healthcare because of the lack of transportation and/or the distance to the facility that could provide those services. As a result, many people suffer from health problems that could be prevented with access to healthcare. Community Health goes to these areas & helps provide them access to healthcare.