PROJECTS | Case Studies | Tanzania

Faraja Trust Fund – Supporting children living with HIV & AIDS

Faraja Trust Fund (Faraja) and ICT have been working in partnership since 2006.  Faraja, a local NGO based in Morogoro, Tanzania, was established in 1991 in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.  It provides care and support to vulnerable people in Morogoro, especially those affected by HIV/AIDS and poverty.  Abasi is sixteen years old and is HIV positive - he was probably infected with HIV through breastfeeding.  With ongoing support from Faraja, Abasi is now looking forward to a brighter future.  This is his story:

After his parents died in 1999, Abasi and his brother and sister moved in with their uncle who lives in Morogoro.

“The situation was very bad, most of the time we went to bed on an empty stomach, not because there was no food, but our uncle did not want us to eat. I was the most victimised because by that time I was always sick. My uncle used to say that I was suffering from the same disease that killed my parents. I was eating alone, sleeping in my own bed and was not allowed to share food with the rest of the family.”

In 2003, Abasi became sick and very nearly died. His uncle took him to the local hospital but the medication the doctors gave him didn’t help. Abasi was then taken to Faraja Home Based Care Centre in Morogoro. Here he was tested for HIV and was found to be HIV positive. Faraja Home Based Care Centre provides drugs to children living with HIV/AIDS to prevent and treat opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis, bacterial pneumonia, malaria and septicaemia, which HIV/AIDS sufferers are more vulnerable to. As well as medicine, Abasi was given food and nutritional supplements. After a number of follow up visits to monitor his progress and ensure he was taking the medicine correctly, his health improved significantly and he started attending school again. In 2007 Abasi was one of the top 15 students to join the local secondary school. He has now joined a number of clubs, including football, basketball and creative writing, and is doing very well at school - he achieved 72% in his last exam.

At Faraja Home Based Care Centre, Abasi has the chance to share experiences with other children with HIV/AIDS.

“When I see those children, I see hope. I do not despair. Yes, I see hope that having HIV is not the end of the road”.

Abasi’s dream is to become a social worker or a doctor so that he can help other children suffering from HIV/AIDS. He has become an HIV prevention peer educator at his school and recently joined a Children’s Rights Club. Above all, Abasi wants to stop the stigma and discrimination that people living with HIV/AIDS suffer.