Lifesaving Healthcare & Economic Empowerment for HIV+ Women & Children

World Centric + Power of Love

$131,625 from profits from fiscal year 2021

This project supports these U.N. Sustainable Development goals

Over the last decade significant progress has been made in the fight against HIV and AIDS but children are still falling through the gaps. In Zambia, 6,000 children are born HIV+ each year. Despite the availability of medications, many children lack treatment resulting in malnourishment, sickness, and inability to attend school. Life expectancy for a child born HIV+ is just 4-5 years. Women in Zambia are also disproportionately impacted, with 26,000 new HIV infections within women ages 15+ in 2019 compared to 19,000 among their male counterparts. On top of the challenge of HIV infections, 42% of the population of Zambia lives in extreme poverty.

Power of Love supports vulnerable families to take ownership and become self-reliant in taking care of their physical health and livelihoods. We fund 3 of Power of Love programs in collaboration with the Matero Care Clinic:

Health Care Services and School Support to 500 HIV+ Children

POL’s healthcare strategy focuses on empowering families to take ownership and become self-reliant in taking care of their child’s health. They provide training in basic nursing, education in HIV/STI’s (including prevention), and psychosocial counseling. They also provide food, supplements and regular home visits from a health worker, and monitor the adherence to HIV medication.

World Centric funds 45% of the program's budget. This year the program will provide healthcare to 500 HIV+ children and school support for 230 children.

Women’s Microloans

Power of Love works with HIV+ women and women who are primary household provider for a child who is HIV+. Many orphans and vulnerable children are cared for by grandmothers and aunts who have no formal education or stable income. These women need support so they can improve their health and keep children in school. The need for entrepreneurship training, education, and credit is huge. Power of Love’s microloans program forms women’s Self Help Groups and provides them with business training, financial literacy education, and start-up loans. Participants learn how to run successful businesses, build strong social networks, and gather enough capital to continue being entrepreneurs. Earnings enable them to pay for food, medicines, rent, school expenses, start saving, acquire assets, and keep children in school. The result is family sustainability, educated children, a stronger community and breaking the vicious cycle of poverty.

World Centric is funding 53% of the budget for POL’s microloans work. In 2022 this program will:

• Business training for 900 women
• Refresher training and business mentoring for 626 women
• 75 new loans disbursed. After completing business training, each woman will receive three loans over a period of 20-24 months. Loan capital is revolving and graduates mentor new loan recipients. There are over 800 active loans this year.

Mosquito Nets for Malaria Prevention

Zambia is one of 20 countries with the highest malaria incidence and mortality. With a high prevalence of HIV there is increased risk for co-infection rates between HIV, TB, and malaria. The problem is aggravated as the median age for the population is just 17 years and malaria can be fatal for children living with HIV and HIV+ pregnant women.

Malaria is both preventable and curable. According to WHO, sleeping under a net during malaria season is one of the most effective and cheapest methods of preventing malaria. Since 90% of Zambia’s population is at risk, POl’s solution is to provide long lasting insecticide treated nets. Beneficiaries are young children, children and adults living HIV, people infected with TB, pregnant women, and older adults. Regular use of nets and knowledge about prevention will keep families malaria free, and healthy. Adults will miss fewer days at work, stabilizing earnings, children will miss fewer days at school resulting in a better education, and more women will deliver healthy infants.

World Centric is covering 41% of this program’s annual budget which provides

• 18,000-20,000 long lasting insecticide treated nets benefiniting 35,000-65,000 adults/children (each net can sleep up to four young children or two adults)
• Education on malaria prevention and demonstration on proper net use, maintenance and storage information on re-treatment will be provided in 6-8 urban and rural locations.
• COVID safety education is also provided during distribution

Additional funding for POL’s partner, Jagruthi, in India

Doddigunta is one of the biggest slums (population of 48,000) in Bengaluru, India. Residents are unskilled workers with little or no education. Most work as daily laborers on construction sites, which means leaving their children unattended. These children are exposed to sexual exploitation, violence, disease, drug addictions and suffer from physical/mental trauma. Loss of livelihood due to COVID has aggravated the living conditions of these migrant families.

Jagruthi provides high quality health care, counseling, and education to children in Doddigunta. Preschool aged children are provided with nutritious food and care while their parents are at work. Older children are provided with education and school support. Pregnant women and new moms receive nutritional support and baby care.

World Centric is providing 68% of the funds for the program this year which will include:

• 3 nutritious meals, pre-school fees, and teaching and learning materials for 150 children aged 3-6 years.
• School fees, school uniforms, books, school bags, worksheets, virtual classes, and educational resources to 450 children.
• Food and baby care to 700 pregnant women and new moms.
• Compensation for 20 teachers from the community.
• Food packets, PPE, and COVID education for families (14,000 individuals).

About Power of Love

A World Centric partner since 2014.

POL funds and runs projects in Zambia and India targeted toward helping women and children infected/affected with HIV/AIDS. Their vision is a world where the AIDS epidemic is in continuous retreat, and people living with HIV have access to loving care and treatment in an environment free of stigma and discrimination.