Pendo Maiseli works for Action for Community Care in Tanzania, on a just started project focussing on paediatric HIV. We spoke with her about the role of traditional birth attendants in making sure children living with HIV enroll in care and the expected results when the project phases out. Watch her interview!
“We have started a new project with Aidsfonds. The project is called Imarisha Afia, which means enhance health in English. The project is focusing on paediatric HIV, aiming at finding all children living with HIV, bring them to care, and make sure that they stay on care. The conventional role of traditional birth attendants is important. Firstly, they are close to the women, they live with them, they interact with them. And most of the women are open up to them. So it’s easier for them to support them in their needs.
There are traditional birth attendants. In Tanzania, according to the Tanzanian government, they are out of the structure of the community. So formally, they are not used, there is a transition of using them to other community structures. So they are trained to play a role of advising, counselling, in providing referrals for the young mothers, women and pregnant women, to help facilities for more treatment on HIV and AIDS. So in this project, there’ll be used on the same role of advising, counseling, training and providing referral to those women.
When the project phased out, I’ll be proud to see all children living with HIV receiving treatment. And there are no new HIV infections and children live healthy lives.”
Sidaction and Aidsfonds are pleased to jointly launch a 2 million euros call for scientific proposals for the year 2025, dedicated to accelerating advances in HIV cure research. This initiative aims to mobilise researchers from France, the Netherlands and African countries around this crucial issue for global health.
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The World is on the Brink of a Humanitarian Disaster. The Trump administration has decided to permanently cut 92% of all development aid provided through USAID with immediate effect. This is a catastrophe for global health, security, and stability and will cost millions of lives. Estimates suggest that this decision alone will result in 8.7 million new HIV infections and 6.3 million AIDS-related deaths. Additionally, millions more will die due to a lack of food, clean drinking water, and life-saving medical care. Previously, the U.S. had announced a 90-day review period to evaluate all aid programmes. However, the decision to halt aid immediately comes much sooner than expected. The U.S. government states that over 90% of aid programs are "not in line with the America First policy" and is cutting $60 billion per year in humanitarian aid. This comes at a time when millions of people worldwide rely on this support for survival. "This is a humanitarian disaster that will cause millions of deaths. Even the most life-saving programmes, such as the distribution of HIV medication, have now been stopped. We therefore urgently call on Minister Veldkamp to meet with his European colleagues to take immediate action. If Europe does not act now, the consequences will be irreversible," says Mark Vermeulen, director of Aidsfonds. The decision comes shortly after a U.S. court ordered the Trump administration to resume aid programmes payments. Instead of receiving the promised budget, aid organisations received a letter last night announcing that all USAID assistance has been immediately stopped.
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