 Dear Friends,
On #GivingTuesday, we invite you to be a part of something extraordinary. Together, let's create a brighter future for the children and adolescents in need. At TTF, we believe in the power of giving. By joining us on #GivingTuesday, you have the opportunity to make a lasting impact. Your generosity can provide medical care, nutrition, and social support group programs to the children and adolescents who need them most. Together, we can transform their lives and create positive change. No act of kindness is too small. Whether you choose to donate or spread the word, your contribution matters. Every action counts and brings us one step closer to a better world for our young ones. Make a difference today. Together, let's ignite hope, inspire change, and transform lives. Thank you for your support and generosity. Make A Donation Today>>>
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 Meet Naomi, who became a TTF client in 2020 during a community outreach in Garden Compound. Initially hesitant to start HIV treatment due to prevailing misconceptions about healthcare facilities, Naomi eventually decided to take action after feeling unwell. To her surprise, at TTF Clinic, she received comprehensive services within an hour, a stark contrast to the extended waiting times she had anticipated.
Naomi's positive experience at TTF made it easier for her to accept her HIV status. The clinic's supportive environment, understanding medical staff, and effective counseling played a crucial role. Beyond clinical care, TTF goes the extra mile by reminding Naomi about her appointments and even delivering medications to her home when she's busy with school. Recognizing the importance of holistic support, Naomi has been enrolled in TTF's special support groups for adolescents. These groups aim to enhance her understanding of her condition and provide valuable insights into reproductive and mental health. Grateful for the support she has received, Naomi expresses her thanks to TTF. However, TTF's ability to assist young individuals like Naomi relies on your support.  Meet 13-year-old Mary, who was found by our on-post staff who work at John Laing compound. Mary talks about HIV myths and how they impact treatment.
"Growing up in John Laing, a neighborhood in Lusaka, Zambia, my family believed that any adversity we faced was the result of dark forces trying to harm us. When I fell ill at the age of eight, my grandmother and mother immediately assumed that I had been bewitched. They tried all sorts of herbal remedies, powders, and concoctions to counteract the supposed spell. Despite their efforts, my condition did not improve. One day, a woman from TTF visited me and asked to test me for HIV. Reluctantly, my mother agreed, and I was diagnosed as positive. My grandmother, however, insisted that my illness was the work of witches and refused to let me take modern medication. It was only after my mother defied her and brought me to the clinic that I was able to receive the ARV medication that helped me recover. Although my grandmother's belief in traditional medicine caused conflict between her and my mother, I'm grateful that I received the treatment I needed. I remember feeling immense pain all over my body and having difficulty breathing and eating. But with time, my condition improved, and I was able to run around again. Today, I take my medication regularly and live a healthy life. I share my story because I want to encourage parents to get their children tested for HIV and to seek medical help if necessary. Thanks to the community health workers who tested and educated me, I'm alive today. Let's all work together to fight HIV and help those who may be struggling with it."  Baby Sydney with Violet, his caregiver Despite the many interventions to prevent mothers transmitting the HIV virus to their babies, pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV continue to fall out of care. This is especially true in sub-Saharan Africa, where new HIV infections among children are still prevalent. According to UNAIDS, 150,000 children were infected with HIV in 2019, and almost 90% of these live in sub-Saharan Africa. Factors like poverty, poor health care systems, cultural practices, and poor adherence to treatment contribute to new HIV infections, especially among children from vulnerable households. Six-month-old Sydney Chala is a beneficiary of TTF's palliative care and nutrition support programs. Little Sydney has defied the odds, from being exposed to HIV, being malnourished, experiencing the worst form of stigma and discrimination, to losing his parents and his home. Having lost his father even before he was born, Sydney and his mother first came to TTF when he was barely three months old. They were identified in the community by one of TTF's community health workers. His mother was very ill and extremely malnourished. She had stopped taking her ARV medication for over three years. Due to her condition, she was not able to breastfeed Sydney properly, and he too became severely malnourished.    Liswani is 17 years old and discovered she was living with HIV in 2019 through a routine TTF community testing day. When she learned about her status, she felt alone and did not have anyone to talk to. Liswani would often come to the clinic, always reserved, without saying much. One day she was invited by the TTF counselors to attend the TTF Girls Club, with the intention of help provide her with a support network of peers living with HIV. It was here that this quiet, shy girl revealed her story: Liswani lived with her stepfather and mother. Only Liswani’s mother knew her status, but one day her stepfather found a bag with her medication and her mother was forced to tell him Liswani had tested positive for HIV. When this occurred everything changed for Liswani. She explained that often her stepfather would throw away any food she prepared for him or even break plates if he saw her using them. She suffered daily stigma and discrimination from her stepfather, and he even stopped paying for her school fees forcing her to drop out of school. With the constant bullying and negativity at home she even thought of committing suicide. Slowly, with the support of the TTF Girls Club, Liswani began to find solace in her newfound friends and was able to draw strength from their individual experiences of discrimination and how they dealt with it. By opening up to her peers this young girl has blossomed to being a strong confident young woman. By learning about HIV and acceptance at TTF she has been able to speak to her family about HIV, breaking down barriers and improving her relationship with both her parents.
Liswani’s mother was invited to attend a TTF caregiver’s workshop, where she learned about HIV, how to better support her daughter, and how to speak to her husband about HIV transmission, breaking down the misinformation and stigma. Today, Liswani is virally suppressed and is active in many youth programs offered at TTF. Liswani hopes she will one day be able to go back to school. She wants to be a nurse and help other girls like her. Your donation allows us to support girls like Liswani. Please consider supporting us to continue running the Girls Club:
One of the critical pieces of our work is outreach. We go into the disadvantaged communities surrounding Lusaka to meet people, talk about HIV, raise their awareness, and test them. A lot of people still do not know their HIV status and are scared to go to a clinic and get tested. TTF’s outreach services bring the safety of our clinic into the communities. Clinics can be intimidating, and most people feel comfortable in their own home and familiar surroundings. Our team of social workers and volunteers work closely with communities to identify people or groups that would benefit from HIV awareness and testing. We talk to people in their comfort zones, on a personal level, and discuss the importance of knowing their status. Since the beginning of 2019, TTF provided HIV awareness and testing to 6,737 people through our outreach programs. Out of that number, 62 tested positive, and of those 21 were 20 years old or younger and/or pregnant, and therefore enrolled at our clinic and provided with medication and psychosocial support. Those who are above 20 years old or not pregnant are referred to the nearest government clinic. For those who tested negative, they walk away with a greater understanding of HIV and how it is prevented and/or managed. More importantly, they are willing to be tested in the future, and they are likely to share this knowledge within their community. Information is powerful, and through our outreach services, we aim to provide as many people as possible with accurate information about HIV. The donations and support we receive to conduct these activities go a long way in helping people understand the importance of testing. Thank you to everyone for your continued support!
Adolescents are often overlooked, and many HIV interventions are not tailored to their specific needs. With support from Egmont Trust Funding and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Small Grants, TTF received funds to work within key compounds in Lusaka to develop programs that provide tailored, supportive, and safe spaces for adolescents to receive the HIV care, treatment, and support they need. Through the Egmont Trust Funding, TTF will create youth-friendly spaces that promote HIV awareness, sexual reproductive health, and psychosocial therapy with age-appropriate interventions. The PEPFAR Small Grants program will enable us to use football coaching sessions, community school football coach training, football for health tournaments, community school outreach, and routine care for people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWH) at the TTF clinic as a medium to reach more than 3,180 young people to increase HIV awareness, improve life skills, and create a supportive community environment for young people. We are excited to take some of the lessons learned from the TTF Clinic, where we provide supportive HIV learning environments for young people, and develop these skills in the community. Many of these interventions have been supported through donations from private individuals. Your donations help us refine our approaches so that we can scale them up and partner with big donors to reach more people.  |
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