First of all, we as a family and as an organization, Christian Aid Ministries-CAM, our TB and HIV / AIDS clients in the community together with our collaborating partners Kitwe District Health Office KDHO under the Ministry of Health of Zambia would like to appreciate everyone for their unflinching support and encouragement for our organization CAM to press on with our ministry work even in the most difficult circumstances that we were able to go through in our ministry work in this year 2020, we are so grateful!
We were so amazed to hear the Minister of Health mentioning our organization CAM in his Keynote Address to the nation on the eve of the World AIDS Day commemoration on Monday 30th November 2020 on Zambia national television, as one of the civil society Organizations in Kitwe, working to provide care and support to TB and HIV / AIDS patients in the community. We were so revived and encouraged to hear this from the Minister of Health. Even if we have done much this year because of financial constraints but in a small way just to keep our organization alive, we have been:
(I) visiting our vulnerable TB and HIV / AIDS clients and encouraging them to stick to TB and HIV treatment until they complete their course without defaulting.
(ii) Transporting and ferrying some of the most vulnerable TB / HIV / AIDS patients to the health centers for TB and HIV / AIDS counseling and testing.
(iii) Processing and provision of Soya meal and Soya porridge to some of the most vulnerable TB and HIV / AIDS patients and malnourished HIV + babies who can not breastfeed from their HIV + mothers at our home on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We started doing this program in November last month.
THE WORLD AIDS DAY COMMEMORATION ON TUESDAY 1 ST DECEMBER 2020 !!!
Unlike other years when we were regrouping as NGOs and civil society organizations in Kitwe during the World AIDS Day commemoration, this year because of the COVID 19 and for fear of overclouding, the District Health Office, decided that each organization should be able to commemorate and observe this day alone.
(i) So we decided that as Christian Aid Ministries - CAM organization, we are going to hold the World AIDS Day commemoration at our center in Buchi with myself and 4 of our staff members such as Davison Mwale, Cynthia Phiri, Doreen Mwamfulilwa and Kasonde Jones. We also invited our 7 community volunteers such as Maureen Zulu (or Banakulu Kebba) from Buchi community, Catherine from St. Anthony community, Jennifer from Kamakonde community, Bana Mugala from Mugala community, Katukula Forward from Kamatipa community, Magret from Kapoto community and Martha Gondwe from Chantete community.
We also invited 5 former TB patients from each community who totaled up to 35. We were so delighted to see some of our very old former TB patients that we first started within our organization in 2005 and 2006 such as Jenifer Kambeu, from Kamakonde community, Alex Sakala from Buchi community, Zulu Isaac from Buchi community, Mwaba Musanya from St. Anthony, Bupe Kachombo from Mugala community, Kalalwe Mildred from Kamatipa community, Moses Bwalya from Kapoto community and Monica Bwalya from Chantete communities and many others to mention but a few, to come and attend this year's World AIDS Day Commemoration. We were 46 in total and the theme of this year's World AIDS Day Commemoration was: ' Communities Make a Difference '
We observed a moment of silence and remembered all our clients' friends and relatives who died of HIV / AIDS such as Manbwe, Kelvin, Mr. Zulu, etc in prayer and it was such a somber mood and before we knew it we were all weeping and crying for all our dear departed brethren, praying and offering thanksgiving for what the Lord has done by sustaining our lives up to this far. Surely He is Jehovah God Ebenezer who has brought us this far while some of our brothers and sisters and friends have died, so we had to give Him thanks for showing us His Grace by sustaining our lives up to this far!
We as Christian Aid Ministries - CAM, how are we aligning ourselves to this year's theme and make sure that we make this required difference so that AIDS can end by 2030? We are doing this by our continuous perseverance in making sure that vulnerable TB and HIV / AIDS patients in the community are provided with TB / HIV / AIDS care and support through nutritional, medical, and spiritual provision to them, on a daily basis. We also ensure that 90% of people are tested for HIV / AIDS and ensure that 90% of those who are HIV positive are commenced on antiretroviral therapy treatment and that 90% of the patients, who are on antiretroviral therapy, continue taking their medication without defaulting and have their viral load suppressed to end AIDS by 2030.
(ii) We conducted a face mask, hand sanitizers, and washing paste distribution exercise to all our 50 TB / HIV / AIDS clients in the community.
On Monday 16th November up to and Friday 20th of November, 2020 the following week, we managed to distribute a total of 50 face masks and 50 bottles of alcohol-based hand sanitizers to all our 50 clients in all the 7 communities as we were guided and directed by Mr. Sebastian Mtonga during the last training at the center. And all our TB clients were so grateful to us and to Kitwe District Management Board for the gesture to have face masks to protect them from catching Corona infection, they were very grateful!
(iii) Processing of Soya beans into soya meal for vulnerable TB / HIV / AIDS patients and malnourished HIV + babies who cannot breastfeed from their HIV + Mothers.
On Monday 23 rd November 2020 last month, we are delighted to report that we invited two volunteers who are good at preparing soya flour on Saturday such as sister Fides and Jenifer who worked with my wife Bernadette, our first-born daughter Christine and I in taking 1 (50kg) bag of soya and 1 (One) 50 kg bag of Maize grains to the grinding machine in Kapoto community nearby and both soya beans and maize grains were grounded into soya meal/flour. Afterward, we booked a van that carried us and our bags of soy and maize flour to our home where we started mixing them (both soy and maize meal) together in required ratios.
To make the soya meal and the maize meal mixture taste more nutritious and make a balanced diet for our clients, we mixed them with powdered Cremora milk, sugar, and fine salt and finally came up with 3 bags of soya that is enriched with maize meal, milk, sugar and salt that we gave to the patients in the community during our food distribution program on Friday 27th November 2020 last month.
We have also remained with 1 (one) more 50kg bag of Soya mixture to give to our clients in the community and on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at our home.
(iv) Purchasing of Soya Beans and Maize in Mpongwe Farming Block
We went to Mponwe Farming block in Luanshya to buy 1 (50kg) bag of soya beans and 1 (50 kg) bag of maize. Mpongwe farming block is in Luanshua 50 Kilometers from Kitwe district where soya beans, maize, rice, oranges, and other farm produce are grown in large quantities and they are cheaper.
These are the 2 bags of food that we took to the grinding machine in Kapoto that we have mixed with powdered milk, sugar, and salt, to make the soy flour richer and tastier for our TB / HIV / AIDS that they use to make porridge to regain good health.
Soya porridge is so good to our TB / HIV / AIDS clients as it helps to nourish and boost the health system of our TB / HIV / AIDS faster while they are on TB treatment or antiretroviral therapy.
(v) Distribution to all 50 Vulnerable TB / HIV / AIDS Clients in 7 Communities
On Monday 30th November 2020, we managed to give part of the Soya meal to a total of 15 households of our TB clients in Buchi and St. Anthony communities and our clients were so grateful to us for our gesture.
On World Aids Day on Tuesday 1st December 2020 last week after the commemoration at Dr. Elizabeth Rini Medical Center, we managed to give soya meal to other 15 households in Kamakonde and Mugala communities.
On Wednesday 2nd December 2020 last week,, we managed to give soya meal to the remaining 20 vulnerable households of our TB clients in 3 communities namely Kapoto, Kamatipa, and Chantete communities and all the patients were so happy to receive this food supplement from our organization.
However, we still have soya meal that has remained from the previous food distribution program that we are giving to some of the most vulnerable and malnourished TB / HIV / AIDS patients and HIV + babies who cannot breastfeed from their HIV positive mothers, who come to our center and to my home on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays every week. This program is very helpful in improving the well-being of our clients and children in the community.
CELEBRATING THE CHRISTMAS WITH SOME OF OUR TB / HIV / AIDS CLIENTS ON 25TH DECEMBER 2020 AT OUR HOME
We are also planning to celebrate this year's Christmas with 30 TB / HIV / AIDS patients at our home in Riverside. It will be such a wonderful time to share a meal with some of our clients on Christmas Day at our home !!! We would like our clients to be ☺ happy and feel loved with us!!!
Thank you all so much for all your support to my family and our organization CAM. Thank you for encouraging us to continue with our work of providing nutritional support, medical support, TB and HIV / AIDS prevention treatment care, and support to our clients in various communities in Kitwe district.
YOU ARE ALWAYS IN OUR MINDS !!!
WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A SAFE AND PRODUCTIVE NEW YEAR 2021 !!!