Tearfund Walk 2012

This was a 5 mile sponsored walk in Glenariff Forest Park, on 27th April 2012.

We had a great day at Glenariff - a big thanks to the hundreds who walked.  The aim of our 2012 walk is to raise £18,000 to support 100 children in North India. We'll keep you posted.

Suraj lost his parents to AIDS when he was 5 years old. He is now 7 and lives with his elder sister, brother-in-law and nephew. He is HIV+ and has to travel 3 hours to get his antiretroviral drugs. Tearfund has linked up with the local church and is giving monthly support to Suraj. A church leader calls with Suraj each month, bringing practical help and spiritual support. This vulnerable family knows that there is someone there for them when they need it.

For more information keep reading.

 

Partner: Christian AIDS/HIV National Alliance (CANA)

Location: North and North East India

Purpose: To provide short term monetary support and long-term holistic care to 100 children infected and affected by HIV & AIDS within 11 states in North & North-eastern India, through the work of the local church.

Impact: 100 children will receive holistic care and support from their local churches, communities and extended family members, enabling them to better cope with the trauma of living with HIV.

In India, 2.27 million people are living with AIDS and the number of people infected with HIV, but not yet suffering the full blown affects of the disease, is known to be even higher. Tragically, India also has one of the largest numbers of AIDS orphans (children from 0-17 years who have lost either one or both parents to HIV) and it is estimated that this number will double over the next five years.  In addition, hundreds of children themselves are becoming infected with HIV every year. The Indian Health Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, announced in July 2009 that there are nearly 53,000 HIV positive children in India. Of course, that number is now likely to be much higher.

When a parent becomes infected with HIV the repercussions for the rest of the family are grave: Family roles begin to change, as parents become weak and are no longer able to care for their children. The household economic resources begin to dwindle due to climbing medical bills and the parents’ inability to cope with working. The effects on the children are huge as nutrition, education, health and other needs are compromised to save money. If there are no other adults in the household, children often have no choice but to leave school in order to either earn money, perform household chores and/or care for their sick parents. If the HIV diagnosis within the family becomes known in the community, children will often face prejudice and social exclusion. Friends of the family may come to visit less often and children may be harassed at, or denied access to school. Discrimination in accessing health care is also common for all family members.

Such changes in the family dynamics can cause children great psychological distress, which is then further compounded by having to watch their parent(s) suffer over an extended period of time. The detrimental impact of HIV on so many children is creating an overwhelming need for a new type of care and support. For a long time, such children have been assisted through institutional care, but CANA, supported by Tearfund, have a vision to address this need through the local church and Church Based Organisations (CBOs).

Tearfund Partner, Christian AIDS/HIV National Alliance (CANA) is an Indian National Christian (interdenominational) non-governmental organization, which formed in April 1999 with its headquarters in New Delhi. It acts as a coalition organisation, drawing together Churches, CBOs and Christian practitioners. These parties are brought together to engage in Christian response to HIV & AIDS. Together these groups network, capacity build, advocate and provide program facilitation and consultancy services with Christian perspectives and Biblical mandate.

CANA has a vision to envision and empower Churches, related organisations and networks to develop sensitive and effective responses to HIV & AIDS, thereby reducing the suffering caused in the life of individuals, families, communities and society as a whole. One of CANA’s main focus areas is Children infected and affected by HIV & AIDS.

The aims of this project are two-fold:

Firstly, to facilitate churches and church based organisations to actively involve in the provision of care and support to those children infected and affected in their own congregation and community. CANA will teach these groups how to demonstrate practical acts of compassion as shown by Christ. They will learn how as a community they can love and care for people affected by HIV & AIDS, help communities become aware of HIV and AIDS; how to prevent the spread of the disease and how to care for people affected by it.

Secondly, to extend provision of monetary support and a better standard of living to the poorest children infected and affected by HIV within the community, as identified by the local church and CBOs.

The geographical areas focused on within this project are eight states in North India (Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh) and three states in North East India (Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya).

The following activities will be carried out with carefully selected children, churches and communities:

1.    To build the capacity of the local church and CBOs to respond to the needs of children infected and affected by HIV in their local communities, though the means of workshops and training sessions.

2.    To provide for the children’s welfare, CANA will award each of them a certain amount of monetary support each month, based on whether they are HIV infected or affected:

·      75 HIV + children will receive 900 Rupees (£11.28) per month for 3 years

·     25 HIV affected children will receive 700 Rupees (£8.77) per month for 3 years.

3.    To identify churches and CBOs working with orphans and vulnerable children in the local area and establish partnerships with them, enlisting their assistance in caring for the identified children.

Those who primarily benefit from this project are children. There are 75 children being assisted who are HIV positive and 25 others who are being negatively affected by HIV in some way, perhaps through being orphaned, or having to care for and support dying parents. The majority of these children are aged below 14 years, though a couple range between 14 – 18 years old. The priority by which children have been selected to take part in this project is as follows:

·     1st – Fully Orphaned (both parents deceased) and HIV +

·     2nd – Semi Orphaned (one parent deceased) and HIV +.

·     3^rd - Living in relatives home (uncle/aunt, grand parents) and HIV +

·     4^th - Living in relatives home (uncle/aunt, grand parents) with relative who is HIV +.

·     5^th - Living with HIV + parents and HIV +

·     6^th - Living with HIV + parents

·     7^th - Under institutional care and HIV +

·     8^th - Under institutional care and relative who is HIV +

Of course, the parents / immediate families of these children will also directly benefit through the help given by CANA

The total cost of the entire 3 year project is £55,457, whilst in 2011/12 (final year of the project) the amount required is £18,844. This is our target figure for the 2012 walk.