Katrina

Katarina is just one of the thousands of grandparents caring for orphaned children due to the devastating effect of HIV/Aids.

Katarina has one remaining daughter and is caring for 2 grandchildren whose mother died from HIV/Aids. In an adjacent plot next to her home are the graves of her husband, mother-in-law, and 5 children.

Her husband was a subsistence farmer, however, most of their land was sold off, when the family were sick, to pay for medicines. Now Katarina has very little land to support her family, and she struggles to survive.

WAMATA health workers visit regularly to provide help with food and medicines. They also provide free school uniforms so the children can attend primary school.

 

Lightness

This is Lightness with her daughter aged 8 months, Irene. Lightness also has 2 sons aged 5 and 4. She found she was HIV positive when she was pregnant with Irene.

She does not know her age. She is the third child in a family of 10. Her father is a farmer and very poor. She was unable to complete her primary education as her family needed her to help with her younger siblings.

She is married but her husband does not work and does not provide for his family. She tells us that he is often drunk and she sees little of him. Lightness struggles to survive and feed her children; she takes odd jobs when she can find them to give her an income.

The health workers from WAMATA encouraged Lightness to join the WALIPO group to give her some support. Since joining the group, she has received a monthly food allowance and was one of the first in the group to receive a goat.

To help more families like these, please become a "special friend" by making regular donations.