Nam
Nam was a child that came to us suffering from inherited HIV. Both parents were deceased and he lived with his grandmother who was very poor. His situation was very similar to other children in the area as we were to find out later. At that time, we did not anticipate having a project dedicated to children with HIV.
After some investigation, we found that there wasn't any organization or treatment facilities for pediatric HIV in central Viet Nam. The closest facility was in Ho Chi Minh city, a plane ride away. We also learned about the medications and treatment for this disease. It wasn't hard to fall in love with Nam. He didn't say much, but you could tell he appreciated everything we did for him. That included taking him on motorbike rides throughout the area, having picnics, taking him to eat at a restaurant and going with him on the semi monthly medical trips to Ho Chi Minh city.
Our time with Nam will always be cherished, he did as much for us as we did for him. His life was extended because of our work, but sadly, we lost him in 2010.
But because of Nam, we now have a Pediatric HIV project providing medications, life support and medical visits for 16 children.
After some investigation, we found that there wasn't any organization or treatment facilities for pediatric HIV in central Viet Nam. The closest facility was in Ho Chi Minh city, a plane ride away. We also learned about the medications and treatment for this disease. It wasn't hard to fall in love with Nam. He didn't say much, but you could tell he appreciated everything we did for him. That included taking him on motorbike rides throughout the area, having picnics, taking him to eat at a restaurant and going with him on the semi monthly medical trips to Ho Chi Minh city.
Our time with Nam will always be cherished, he did as much for us as we did for him. His life was extended because of our work, but sadly, we lost him in 2010.
But because of Nam, we now have a Pediatric HIV project providing medications, life support and medical visits for 16 children.
HIV Moonlight Dream
In Autumn 2013, we held a festival for our children with HIV. Our staff prepared the day before by making traditional moon cakes (a learning experience for our western staff!). 11 families came from all around Quang Nam to our house in Hoi An. We prepared lunch and provided the children with lantern and notebooks for the new school year. The party was great - music, games and even a dragon dance. The kids and families loved it. As with all of these gatherings, it is a chance for them to come "out of hiding" and share with other families in similar situations. Money for this was raised by private donations with the majority coming from the (noname) Art Group in Philadelphia.
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HIV School Reintegration Program
In 2012 our foundation conducted its first school reintegration program. A 17 year old patient of ours was starting a new high school and we conducted a seminar to educate the students, teachers and families and the child was successfully integrated back to school. In 2013 we repeated this program for a 13 year old girl in our program. This was a 2-day program with day 1 focusing on the teachers and day 2 focusing on the students. We learned a lot during these 2 days about the depth of the misinformation that exists with HIV as well as the willingness of the community to learn and change their opinions. The program was a success and the child started school the next day. This program was funded by a generous donation from Ryan and Carrie McGhan.
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