TINY TIM AND FRIENDS
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THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES TO YOUNG WOMEN LIKE LISWANI

12/7/2020

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Liswani, a Patient at TTF
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 counsellors to attend the TTF Girls Club, with the intention to help provide her 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 with her Mum and TTF Counsellor
Liswani at home
Liswani’s mother was invited to attend a TTF caregiver’s workshop, where she learnt about HIV, how to better support her daughter and speak to her husband about HIV transmission, breaking down the mis-information 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:
  • $20 pays for three peer counselors to run a Girls Club
  • $60 pays for transport for 20 girls to attend the Girls Club
  • $100 supports one girl to attend 10 weeks of counseling and peer support at the Girls Club

Donate and support our Girls Club >>
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help us win £10,000 - vote for our short film

4/12/2018

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Margaret working in the community
Tiny Tim & Friends has entered a film competition, Every Footstep Counts, and we need your help. 

The competition aims to showcase and celebrate the successes organisations, like Tiny Tim & Friends, are making worldwide that are integral to end mother-to-child transmission and paediatric HIV.  By following this link and voting for Tiny Tim & Friends  film, "The Power of Living Positively", you can help us to win £10,000 and the opportunity to attend the International AIDS Conference in 2018 and showcase our work to global leaders in the field of HIV. 

Vote for Tiny Tim & Friends Film and help us to win £10,000. 

The Six films with the most votes will go to a judging panel where the top two will be classified as winners. So we need your votes! 

Tiny Tim & Friends' film focuses on the work of one of our community health volunteers, Margaret. Margaret lives positively within her community, sharing her status to encourage others to access HIV testing and treatment. Through her work with the TTF Clinic she reaches out to vulnerable children and pregnant women who would have otherwise not accessed services. Every day she engages with new people, working to ensure children and pregnant women living with HIV are accessing treatment and staying in care. She continually follows TTF's Mission -  working towards a future where no child is living with HIV.   

Watch the video on the Every Footstep Counts website and vote for Tiny Tim & Friends - The Power of Positivity
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WE NEED YOUR HELP IN SUPPORTING VULNERABLE TEENAGERS ACCESSING CARE AND TREATMENT

6/27/2017

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The staff and board at Tiny Tim & Friends are committed to continuing our work and developing programs to support even more HIV+ children and adolescents live healthy, positive lives. Our donors and supporters have enabled TTF to pilot many new interventions over the years which have allowed us to change the lives of thousands of HIV+ individuals. WE CONTINUE TO NEED YOUR SUPPORT IN CHANGING LIVES. 

Adolescent girls are twice as likely to get infected with HIV as their male counterparts. And many adolescents do not feel empowered to access contraception, do not feel empowered to ask their partner to wear use condoms, or do not know where to access contraception from in order to protect themselves from infection. ​

When some of our adolescent peer mentors came to us recently to suggest setting up youth friendly services at the TTF Clinic, we were excited to hear about their ideas.  Our aim is to support them to develop a youth focused project which could not only help us in retaining our existing adolescent patients into treatment but in identifying new patients to reach out to and providing a safe space for young people to come and access information and services.  

IT COSTS LESS THAN $7,000 TO SET UP AND RUN OUR YOUTH FRIENDLY SERVICE FOR 6 MONTHS. 

Building trust through games
Sharing stories and experiences
The purpose of the youth friendly center would be to provide youth led HIV testing, counselling, sexual reproductive health information, access to condoms and referral services for those in need of HIV treatment, or other health and counselling services. ​ We would also run community based outreach services, led by our teen mentors and youth counselors, with the purpose of encouraging HIV testing in the community around the TTF Clinic and to encourage individuals to come to the clinic for testing and information services. 

Finally the youth groups want to establish chess clubs, sports teams and activity groups to provide a much needed distraction from some of the vices, such as alcohol and drug abuse,  which are too easily accessible to the vulnerable populations we work with. ​
Adolescents at a teen support group
One of our peer mentors with children at the clinic
We are more than confident that with the right funding, and guidance from the TTF management and social work teams our peer mentors can set up services which supports adolescents in: 
  • Understanding the importance of treatment and taking medication.  
  • Attending their appointments at the TTF Clinic.
  • Accessing information on HIV, Sexual reproductive health, contraception, and counselling services.
  • Accessing HIV testing in a youth friendly environment where they feel comfortable with their peers.  
  • Breaking down some of the myths and stigma around HIV which prevents people from accessing testing. 
  • Achieving viral suppression so if/ when they become sexually active their risk of transmission is reduced to zero.
  • Finding a safe space where they can form sports teams, chess clubs or other groups to provide 

BUT WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT. IT WOULD COST US LESS THAN $7,000 TO ESTABLISH AND RUN OUR YOUTH FRIENDLY CENTER FOR 6 MONTHS, DURING WHICH TIME THE YOUTH WOULD LOOK TO UNDERTAKE FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES OF THEIR OWN IN LUSAKA TO SUPPORT THEIR CONTINUED OPERATIONS. PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING OUR WORK BY DONATING TO TTF TODAY!(Please state the purpose of your donation on the donation page) 
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CELEBRATING THE NEXT TINY TIM

6/27/2017

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Dr. Tim had such a great impact on the patients and people that we work with. So when one of our community volunteers gave birth to a little boy the day after Tim passed away last year, she decided to name her new born son Tim, to pay tribute to the work he had done to help her and others living with HIV to healthy lives and have healthy HIV negative children. 
Contridah and little Tim

​"Dr. Tim was a man of action, and I hope for my son to grow up to live up to his namesake."


Contridah has been working as a volunteer with Tiny Tim & Friends since 2009. She works in the community to help identify vulnerable HIV+ children and over the years has personally brought over 130 children to TTF for HIV testing, counselling and, where needed, treatment. 

She came to volunteer with TTF as she heard about our work through one of our community volunteers who lives in the same community as her.

"When I first came to TTF and met Dr. Tim, I was impressed. Dr. Tim was a kind person and there few people who would have done the work that he did. He formed a team so that HIV+ children can be healthy and happy. I was impressed by his work and the work at TTF so wanted to be part of that, so that children who have HIV don't have to suffer."

Along with several other community volunteers, Contridah was trained by TTF to identify individuals who were sick or at risk of HIV infection, and to encourage them to access testing and treatment. By talking positively about her own status she has been able to interact with individuals in the community who would not have otherwise accessed services. 

"I try and help people realize that going to the clinic is better. I can explain how the medicine works and can help people come to terms with their status. By starting on medication you can be fit and lead a normal life. Thanks to the medicine I have been able to have two HIV negative children.

"I have always been encouraged by Tim's work, he was a man of action, and I hope for my son to grow up to live up to the name. I would love for my son to help people in the community, like Dr. Tim did. And to help people not to feel alone". 

Little Tim at work in the office
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THE NEED FOR QUICK INTERVENTIONS FOR SMALL CHILDREN.....

11/16/2016

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Rachel, a vulnerable 2 year old patient

AS SOON AS WE ASKED RACHEL'S MOTHER ABOUT FOOD SHE BROKE DOWN IN TEARS


By Jac Connell, Acting Country Director, Tiny Tim & Friends: 
A few weeks ago one of the social work team came to my office with a small child, Rachel (aged 2), who had been identified at the Clinic that day as HIV+ and at risk of TB. Weighing only 7.1kgs (15lbs), our counselor, Mwenda, was concerned about malnutrition and wanted to include Rachel on the list of patients who would benefit from our crowd funding campaign, should we be successful. 

She was incredibly tiny and I could tell from holding her that she had breathing problems and a persistent cough, a symptom we see often at the clinic and a primary indicator of TB. 

As with all of the patients we are considering supporting with nutrition the team usually sit with the family or undertake a home visit to assess what the household is like, how many people the individual lives with and what the income for the household is. 

As soon as we asked Elina, Rachel's mother, about food for the family she broke down in tears. She admitted that there was no food at home, as her husband was bedridden with TB and therefore had lost his job. They were totally reliant on her mother in law to provide food and often would survive on only one meal a day. 

RACHEL IS VULNERABLE. BEING UNDERWEIGHT PUTS HER AT RISK OF A NUMBER OF ILLNESSES WHICH COULD PROVE FATAL.


Rachel and her mother Elina
Sadly, their story isn't particularly unique to us. They live in a two room house, sharing a pit latrine with their neighbors (17 people in total). Elina had never been to school as a child because her family couldn't afford it and therefore had never been able to get a job herself. Rachel's father is unable to work so they pay their rentals (approx $30 per month) through support from other family members.

Rachel has an older sister, who is 7 and in good health, but who has had to stop going to school after they could no longer pay the school fees. 

Rachel has been diagnosed with TB, but without food, both her and her father will struggle to take their medicine, recover and risk passing the disease to her mother. Having only recently started on HIV treatment, Rachel is in a vulnerable situation. Being underweight puts her at risk of picking up any number of illnesses which could prove to be fatal. 

We need all of our donors and supporters around the world to come together to support children like Rachel through our crowd funding campaign - by donating you will change a child's life: 


DONATE TO SUPPORT RACHEL'S HEALTH >>
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HELP SUPPORT A MALNOURISHED INDIVIDUAL.....

11/15/2016

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A new patient to TTF

PANJI IS DESPARATE TO FINISH SCHOOL BUT HAS NOT  BEEN ABLE TO ATTEND FOR OVER 6 MONTHS DUE TO POOR HEALTH


 Sadly, sometimes patients come to TTF and from their appearance you immediately you know there is a major health problem. This was the case for 19 year old Panji when he was brought to the TTF Clinic earlier this year. Panji is 1.73m (5ft 8) and weighs only 42Kgs (92lbs). He is significantly malnourished and currently undergoing tests to see if he is suffering from Tuberculosis. 

His malnutrition, alongside HIV and suspected TB puts his health at significant risk, and without boosting his immune system just a small infection could prove fatal. 

Panji's parents died when he was just a child and he now lives in a one room house with 6 other people (his sister (pictured below), brother in law, and four nieces and nephews),  sharing a pit latrine with 20 other people. Whilst food in the home is provided by Panji's brother in law, there isn't enough to support Panji in his current state and he is in desperate need of nutritional support. He needs your help to ensure he can go on to finish his education and lead a healthy, successful life. 

"I WANT TO FINISH SCHOOL SO I CAN BECOME A DOCTOR AND HELP OTHERS"


Panji at the TTF Clinic
Panji at home with his sister and niece
Panjis elbow
Panji, was identified in the community by one of our teen mentors. He had previously been tested for HIV but wasn't yet ready to accept his status. Our staff have been working closely with him to provide him with medical advice and emotional counselling to prepare him to start on medication. But because of his late access to treatment he is incredibly sick and because of his poor health, he has been unable to attend school for the past 6 months. He desperately wants to complete his education so he can make something of his life and help others. 

With the right medical, social and nutritional support Panji can go onto lead a healthy life, but we need your donations to support him and 49 other children and adolescents like him to reach our crowdfunding goal. So please consider pledging today and changing Panjis life around for the better!
​
HELP PANJI WITH NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT >>
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DEALING WITH THE LOSS OF A LEADER AND A FRIEND

10/26/2016

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Picture

THERE IS AN AFRICAN PROVERB - IF YOU WANT TO WALK FAST WALK ALONE, IF YOU WANT TO WALK FAR, WALK TOGETHER...


At the Tiny Tim & Friends Clinic death and loss can be a daily part of our lives. We deal with some of the most vulnerable children and adolescents, often either reaching them too late, or their social and medical problems are beyond what we can help, or can be dealt with within the limitations of the Zambian Healthcare and social support systems. 

Whilst the loss of any child or patient never gets any easier, working in this field with vulnerable individuals, it is never usually sudden or completely unexpected. Dealing with vulnerable populations you have to quickly learn how to adapt to maintain your own sanity in what can often feel like a senseless loss.

They say there are seven stages to grief; shock, denial, bargaining, guilt, anger, sadness and finally acceptance or hope. Working at Tiny Tim & Friends you often have to compartmentalize emotions and move quickly through the grieving process focusing not on the loss but accepting what has happened as a part of our work.
​
Acceptance doesn’t necessarily mean not questioning what could have been done differently, but acceptance that sometimes there are circumstances beyond our control.

Last month the staff and patients at TTF faced a sudden and unexpected loss with the death of our Country Director and Founder, Dr Tim Meade. Tim was an incredibly passionate individual who was constantly putting the needs of others before his own.

Dr Tim, saw so many successes at TTF over the years and also experienced the loss of patients he had treated since they were children. He never accepted loss as failure.

Tim was always giving; he had a kind heart and a willingness to help others in such a selfless way that he was inspiring to all of the staff at TTF and those who met him. He was a dedicated leader, supportive doctor, loving father  and also a great friend.
Dr Tim and Little Tim
Tim had worked on three continents in the fight against HIV & AIDS. When he came to Zambia he found a need for specialist pediatric HIV services, and alongside his family in the United States, founded and started Tiny Tim & Friends. Working to support vulnerable HIV+ children and pregnant women became a part of his daily life. Over the course of 12 years Tim worked to build TTF from a small ward at another hospice to our own seven room clinic dealing not only with medical issues for vulnerable HIV+ children, adolescents and pregnant women, but also building a team of specialists to develop programs to support our patients social and psychological needs.
 
Since his passing staff at TTF have been working through their grief in different ways but coming together for the greater good soothed by the many patients (and family of patients) who have come forward to express their gratitude to Tim for enabling themselves, and their children, to live healthy lives. People we had never met before have approached staff to express the multitude of ways that Tim had a positive impact on their live; like inspiring them to get into medicine, to travel and see the world, or volunteer for a cause close to their hearts. Partners have approached us to tell us how important TTF and Tim’s work has been in expanding pediatric HIV services in Zambia.
 
The Tims
Dr Tim used to tell me that with every patient loss there has to be a lesson learned. Without learning anything from a loss we cannot grow or move forward. By learning from loss we can become a better organisation and better people. It sometimes it takes longer to figure out what this lesson is than on other occasions.

So what have we learned from Tim’s passing to help us move forward towards acceptance and hope?

With people sharing their stories and memories of Tim with us, we learned that being dedicated to a cause, like Tim was, can be infectious and therefore impactful to individuals outside of our networks in positive ways you don’t always see. We learned that commitment to change really does have a huge impact on the lives of the vulnerable people we work with. And that by working together, in partnership, we can learn from each other, and attain bigger goals than when working alone. 

There is an African proverb – If you want to walk fast walk alone, if you want to walk far, walk together.
​

Whilst acceptance of his death is a long way off for many, we try every day to walk together to emulate his passion and commitment to keeping Tiny Tim & Friends running. We hope that you can join us on this journey and continue to build a legacy in Tim’s name - where no child in Zambia has HIV. ​
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THE MIX OF EMOTIONS AS A VOLUNTEER IN ZAMBIA

7/26/2015

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By Katie Kampa: 

"As I complete the last few days of a ten week internship with Tiny Tim & Friends, it’s a great time for me to look back and reflect on the experiences I’ve had with the organization.  While TTF is a rather small NGO, I have been amazed at the large number of activities that they are involved in and the number of clients they manage to reach. 

"THE DEDICATED STAFF AT TTF AND THE GRACIOUS DONORS.....
 ARE CREATING A POSITIVE CHANGE ON A DAILY BASIS"


Since arriving in Zambia 10 weeks ago, I’ve had the opportunity to learn so much from administrative and operational tasks, counseling and testing sessions, experience how their paeditric clinic works, work in the community to provide HIV testing and counselling , and learn more about the current progress and trends related to HIV in Zambia while attending the National Paediatric ART Review Conference hosted by the Ministry of Health and EGPAF.
Children in the community
Children in the community
Volunteering with Tiny Tim & Friends as a student of Public Health at Tulane University, I've been able to put many of the skills I've learned in the classroom into practice.  After completing research and analysis of the 2013-2014 Zambia Demographics and Health Survey, it’s quite promising to see the rates of HIV transmission steadily decreasing throughout the country while the number of people receiving life-saving anti-retroviral treatment has continued to grow over the last several years.  I see these numbers as a reminder as to why organizations like TTF are so important in the fight against AIDS.  The dedicated staff members at TTF and the gracious donors supporting their work, are creating positive change on a daily basis within communities in desperate need of just that.  In a country where one in every 13 children dies before reaching their fifth birthday, it often can be difficult to recognize that progress is in fact occurring.

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  • Home
  • Donate Online
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • HIV/AIDS - Know the Facts
    • Our People
    • Our Partners
  • What we do
    • Who We Help
    • TTF Clinic
    • Community Outreaches
    • Counselling/ Support Groups
    • EMTCT
    • Nutritional Support
    • Palliative Care
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer opportunities
    • Fundraise for TTF
    • Give a Gift in Kind
    • Work with us
  • TTF Blog
  • Contact Us
    • Contact TTF Zambia
    • Contact TTF USA
    • Sign up to our newsletter
  • Donate
  • Work with us