Power of Love's pediatric HIV care program continues to improve the lives of several hundred children and families impacted by HIV, AIDS, and malaria in Zambia. The vision behind this program is to strengthen women and grandmothers so they can take care of their HIV+ children and sick family members at home. We do this by providing food, medicines, and a package of life-saving healthcare services to HIV positive children, as well as training their caregivers to care for an HIV+ child.

In addition, the children receive weekly visits from our healthcare workers, psychosocial counseling, education on the prevention of HIV, and adherence training and monitoring of their medication regimen. As a result of this high-quality and continuous care, 99% of the children are stable and/or improving in health since January 2013. The improved health of the children has a secondary effect of increasing their school attendance and performance.

Today we would like you to meet two children in our program who are doing well at school and have big dreams for their future.

Taonga is 16 years old and is studying in grade 7. She wants to take courses in nursing after she graduates from high school. Taonga is happy that the aunt who cares for her is receiving mealie meal (a Zambian staple) and beans from our pediatric HIV care program. In addition, Taonga receives weekly visits from a healthcare worker, psychosocial counseling, monitoring and training in adherence to medication, and education in prevention of HIV. We are proud of Taonga as she takes her ARV medications on her own and is working hard at school to become a nurse.