Children In Distress (CINDI-Kitwe)
Community Outreach Initiative
Kitwe, Zambia
Background
Children in Distress (CINDI-Kitwe) is a community-based, non-denominational Zambian organisation established in 1994 with two major objectives.
The first objective is to provide care and support for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The care is provided by community caregivers who have themselves lost their husbands or wives to HIV/AIDS. These volunteer community caregivers are responsible for registering the orphans, identifying their needs, acting as their advocates, and encouraging their communities to look after them so that they grow up in a relatively normal environment.
The second objective is to provide positive prevention, care and support to households with orphans and people living with AIDS (PLWA). Efforts go into mobilizing the communities to integrate PLWAs and orphans by providing education, care and support. The ultimate goal is to reduce HIV/STD transmission, mainly focusing on children, youths, women and situations which are at risk for HIV transmission.
The Project
With the help of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, CINDI-Kitwe will work to:
- promote voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) to 100 widows/widowers who will be identified through sensitisation and awareness activities. Those who are HIV-positive will receive post-test and ongoing counselling so that they can protect their health, prevent themselves from passing their infections onto others, better cope with their situations and help plan for a better future for their children and dependants.
- promote positive living among the youth and young children affected and/or infected by HIV/AIDS through peer group enhancement and support to the households involved. This will involve facilitating post-test clubs and peer support groups which use recreation activities such as soccer, netball, chess and drama to enhance awareness and knowledge.
- reinforce positive prevention through support to 50 households with orphaned children by providing basic necessities such as food, clothing, medical support and information dissemination.
SLF Ref#: CID.05.03