Children with HIV Care and Support

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Light for Children originally began as a means to support children with HIV in the Kumasi area by providing sponsors to help pay for medication, nutrition, and education for affected children.

 

The Ghanaian government has since subsidized antiretroviral drugs, and current rates of infection are very low compared to other African countries. However, there are still children affected by this disease, usually being raised by grandmothers and other relatives as their parents have died of HIV/AIDS. Light for Children supports such children with sponsorships, which help to pay for:

 

• School fees and other expenses.

• Allowances to caregivers and information about proper nutrition.

• Medical and other support for the caregivers themselves, many of whom are elderly.

 

 Light for Children also makes regular home visits and organizes social events to help counteract the stigma surrounding HIV.

 

To date, 56 children have been sponsored under this program, and Light for Children is currently sponsoring 43 children.

 

Because of the hard work of the Ghana AIDS Commission and NGOs, Ghana now has one of the lowest HIV prevalence rates in sub-Saharan Africa. Government funding, as well as a large portion of the support LIFOC once received from anonymous donors abroad, has now been withdrawn in favour of other organizations and projects, and we depend heavily on private sponsorships.

 

Local HIV clinics are still requesting sponsorships from Light for Children for HIV-positive children in the Kumasi area who, along with their caregivers, are struggling to cope with their situation. If you would like to sponsor a child with HIV through Light for Children, please let us know.