UNITE FOR CHILDREN UNITE AGAINST AIDS

February 1, 2008

New life for a little girl

It was a Saturday morning and a group of people living with HIV came to meet in one of the rooms of the Setthatirath hospital in Vientiane. I entered the room with some of the group members and saw about twelve HIV-positive children sitting on a mat in the corner of the room. Some were watching TV, some were playing with toys while others were drawing pictures. Their parents were sitting nearby, waiting for their turn to see the doctors.

The group members and their children receive physical check ups and treatment by the hospital staff. Then, they gather to discuss care and other issues of concern related to HIV and AIDS. The self-help meeting is now organized on weekends so that the children will not miss class. It is supported by UNICEF who facilitates the monthly gathering and provides transportation costs for those who live far and cannot afford to travel to the hospital for treatment. The project has also set up a children’s corner and equipped it with a TV set, children’s toys, story books, papers and color pencils.

I was looking at the children playing and a small girl caught my attention. I had not seen little BangOn for three months already and she looked totally different. Her cheeks were fuller and her eyes were shining. I remembered BangOn as a small and thin seven year old girl living with her aunt in Vientiane. The last time I saw BangOn, she did not look well. I learned from her aunt that her father died soon after she opened her eyes to the world. Her mother died two years later. Nobody in the village knew that BangOn’s parents both died young from AIDS and left an orphan living with HIV in the care of her father’s sister.

BangOn was not a healthy child. When the doctor found that her CD4 cells, were low, BangOn was given anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs. As a result of the treatment, BangOn has gained weight and is doing much better. She was happily building a house with wooden blocks when I approached her. I said hello to the little girl and she looked up and smiled. BangOn is a quiet and shy girl. During our last meeting, when she was sick, I did not get any response from her at all. Today, she still did not say anything but I am happy to see that she responded to my greeting with a smile. I talked with her aunt and she told me BangOn has started grade one already. She said that when BangOn’s health is good, she can follow her peers in class, otherwise, it is quite difficult for her to have any interest in her surroundings.

BangOn’s health has greatly improved due to the ARV drugs and it was very rewarding to see her happy at play at the children’s corner of the hospital. The project is helping people living with HIV like BangOn to access free treatment currently available at two hospitals in the country. However, funding for transportation costs to the hospital is not sufficient. Continuous efforts have been made to raise money for the programme so that more infected children and adults can access treatment and improve their quality of life.