Hope

AIDS is the worst epidemic in human history. Every country in the world have citizens infected with the HIV virus leading to AIDS. Since the epidemic was identified some 20 years ago, 60 million people have been infected. 20 million have died. 14 million children have been orphaned.

28.5 million people living in Southern Africa are infected. In some countries, we talk about 20-35 % of the adult population being infected. These are only a few of the horrible figures surrounding this pandemic.

Every project in Humana People to People feel the consequences of the epidemic, and it is a priority task at every project to work to stop the spreading of the epidemic and care for the people infected.

In 1996, Humana People to People started HOPE Centers, specifically working to fight AIDS. Today there are 10 HOPE Centers in Angola, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi and Namibia. Each of them have a number of smaller HOPE Stations placed around as satellites.

The HOPE Center is a place open to all people. Here they get information and encouragement. People can take part in Positive Living Courses, courses on health and hygiene, on nutrition, on home based care of sick people, etc. There is also a voluntary counseling and testing unitstaffed with a nurse and a doctor.

From the HOPE Center there are numerous activities, actions and campaigns organized in order to reach out to all the people in the community.

HOPE - An AIDSAid program

Here are some examples of tasks taken out of a job description for a Development Instructors in HOPE:

Make sure that all the activities described in the Outreach Program are taking place and continuously developing. E.g. making sure that all schools and workplaces in the area have Clubs of Hope and every compound have a youth club.

Make sure that the Hope Station develops into a cultural center. Plan, organize and implement cultural evenings at the center, sports programs every afternoon, video evening once a week, two new activities each month that you come up with yourself.

Make the Positive Living Movement visible and lively in your Zone. Start Positive Living Clubs in every compound and see to that they have good programs.

Mobilize 250 people for HIV testing in your Zone. Organize a door-to-door campaign and the counseling and testing.