TeenSAVE, an innovative and visionary support program was developed by International Relief Teams (IRT) in partnership with the Pediatric Infectious Disease Clinic (PIDC) of Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Uganda, for hundreds of boys & girls who desperately want to have a future.

Through no fault of their own, these youngsters contracted AIDS from their infected mothers in infancy. Most are orphaned, living in foster homes or with other family members, and face a wide range of stressful events and circumstances in addition to their own medical status, including the loss of caregivers, the burden of adult-like responsibilities, and social isolation.

Without access to anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs to control the virus within them, these kids have lived without hope of ever reaching adulthood …Until Now! Through the U.S. government's PEPFAR Initiative and Pediatric AIDS Canada, these boys and girls are now receiving free antiretroviral therapy (ART) - vital medicines needed to keep them alive!

IRT's comprehensive support program, TeenSAVE, is helping these adolescents live healthy lives, face their future with hope, and become active and engaged members of their communities by providing Life-Skills training, conducting AIDS education, and providing vocational training and scholarships so that these children can complete their education.

Through TeenSAVE, IRT is able to shift the focus away from death and hospice care towards helping these youngsters learn to live successfully with HIV/AIDS, and prevent further transmission of the virus and drug resistance. The needs of this important group of adolescents, who now have a chance to live long and reasonably healthy lives, remain urgent and compelling

IRT and PIDC believe that such community-based comprehensive support systems, encouraging adherence to ART, are the keys by which all youth living with HIV/AIDS will have a better chance for surviving and leading independent and productive lives. Through the proposed education and program activities, the teens will be given opportunities to discover new talents, find channels of healthy self-expression and share their burdens with one another and their communities. IRT and PIDC believe that such discoveries and support systems will enhance the will to live, increase adherence to ART, and limit engagement in dangerous behaviors.

IRT anticipates that the success of this program will extend beyond impacting the lives of this particular group of teens in Kampala. Although there has been a significant amount of research conducted on various aspects of the AIDS epidemic, very little is known about youth living with AIDS that survive into their adolescent years. Successful implementation of this program will produce valuable data and 'best practices' about caring for adolescents with AIDS, particularly vulnerable populations such as orphans, and the educational materials developed through this program will benefit all organizations working with youth living with AIDS.

IRT believes that its strong partnership with PIDC and the rapport it has already established with the local community in Kampala, substantially increases the viability and efficacy of this program. TeenSAVE will ensure that the needs of these adolescents living with AIDS are met in a holistic manner, and that they are able to remain in their communities.

*For $108,000 IRT can fully implement TeenSAVE for 400 adolescents for one year (less than $.75 cents per day per teen!).

Delicio.us  |   Digg  |   NewsVine  |   Reddit                                                                                  Permalink