Phomolong Support Group for People Living With HIV/AIDS

Skillshare International Ireland is committed to the empowerment of people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) in southern Africa with the goal of improving the quality of lives of people affected and infected by HIV/AIDS through the national networks and associations of PLWHAs This will be achieved through the implementation of the regional capacity building project made possible by funding from the Irish Aid.

In this issue, we work with the Lesotho Network of PLWHAs (LENEPWHA) from the Kingdom of Mountains and Sky - Lesotho! LENEPWHA was established in May 2005 by support groups of PLWHAs upon realizing that it would enable a well coordinated and meaningful contribution to the national response in the mitigation of HIV and AIDS. The network is currently working with 53 support groups with a total membership of 1,940 throughout Lesotho. The regional project is working with 20 support groups in three districts, namely Maseru, Berea and Leribe. We visited one of the support groups that is a beneficiary of the project: Phomolong Support Group.

Phomolong Support Group is based in Ha Ts'oane village, near Maseru. It provides care for the chronically ill and support for orphaned children in their communities. As many as 48 dedicated volunteers work with the support group in a variety of activities, including income-generating projects, small-scale subsistence gardening and basic care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS. Through the project, Skillshare International Ireland assisted the support group to purchase school uniforms for 40 orphaned children (above) as well as money to support their poultry project and vegetable garden (below).

Members making real change:

Selina Qhobo: '"Since I joined this support group I have learnt poultry rearing for both broilers and layers, I am now teaching the community how to do the same and I intend to teach my children and grandchildren these skills too! We are also able to supply balanced diet to terminally ill patients from our garden and poultry project." says Selina, a member of Phomolong Support Group.

Davida Limo: "My greatest lesson has been to love, the love for fellow human beings and empathy through caring for Aids orphans, I never thought about what happens to a child after they lose their parents, where and what do they eat, where do they sleep and what do they wear especially during winter? Now I share the little I have for my own children with the rest of the unfortunate children". She is happy to have met a group of men and women who are also committed to give the orphaned and vulnerable children love and care!

This is part of Skillshare International Ireland's People Living With HIV/AIDS project funded by Irish Aid.

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