Fighting TB With HIV Will Reduce TB Burden & Children Must Not Be Left Behind

While progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS has been steady over the years, the challenge of TB-HIV co-infection remains, especially among children. In 2015 tuberculosis (TB) ranked as the world’s deadliest infectious disease, currently causing the death of 1.5 million people per year. Every year around 10 million people develop TB; 1 million of them are children under the age of 14. Only 64% of these children are properly diagnosed due to lack of adequate technologies, low awareness and failing health systems. Every four minutes a child dies of TB. Approximately 10 million children are left orphaned because of TB every year. Keep reading

A Safe Space for Teens at Mzuzu Health Center

Nurse Emily from Mzuzu Health Center recently attended a training by African Network for Care of Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (ANECCA) supported by CIFF and EGPAF. The training was a follow-up of a visit by ANECCA the week prior, giving support to Mzuzu HC’s popular Teen Club for adolescents living with HIV. The story focuses on Emily’s teaching style in Teen Club and some of the positive outcomes she has had in reaching young people living with HIV in her large community. Keep reading

Am I Not the Healthy One

Justine Sirri is a 29-year-old mother of two living in Bamenda, the Anglophone capital of Cameroon’s northwest region. “I am happy,” she says, “I like being a mother.” Last year Justine was “sick on and off” and suspected that she had malaria. When she came to Bingo Baptist Hospital for treatment, she was counseled and tested for HIV. She discovered that she is HIV-positive. Despite being aware of the challenges that would lie ahead, Justine took the news in stride. Keep reading

Facing Stigma Together in Homabay

Most of the children are orphans—with one or both parents having perished from AIDS-related causes. One in four persons in this fishing community on the shore of Lake Victoria is living with HIV. Keep reading

Mama County Says, “Stay in School”

February 20 is designated as the World Day of Social Justice. Gender equality is an important lens through which to view social justice. This is particularly true when it comes to adolescent girls, who are less likely to complete their education and more likely to become infected with HIV than are adolescent boys. Mama County Says, a program in western Kenya, addresses both of these issues. Keep reading

Behind the 90-90-90 Targets

Catherine Sie Akoua Kouassi, Community Linkage Advisor, has been working with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatrics Foundation in Cote d’Ivoire since 2006. She has been at the forefront of the epidemic in her country well before her employment with EGPAF. Cathy has tirelessly demonstrated her passion for ending AIDS and is well respected in the field by her peers. She has been a strong advocate, designer and supporter of Cote d’Ivoire’s community strategies efforts. Keep reading

Mothers Support Each Other in Rural Zimbabwe

Stella is a 32-year-old mother living in Chundu village, Zimbabwe. She has three children, aged 9, 5, and 1. Stella delivered all of her children at the antenatal care clinic at Hurungwe District Hospital. Now she volunteers there as a peer facilitator. Keep reading