The Canadian Red Cross Society

www.redcross.ca

The Canadian Red Cross Society is a volunteer-based humanitarian organization founded in 1896 and incorporated in 1909. The Society provides disaster relief and humanitarian service to the public through its international, disaster, safety and community-based health and social services.

This past year, the Canadian Red Cross in the Lower Mainland launched a campaign called Seeing Red to raise awareness in the community about the causes, consequences, and humanitarian injustices of HIV/AIDS, here at home and around the globe. The Canadian Red Cross is supporting the appeal for donations issued by the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) for $342 million. These funds will massively expand existing community-based care programs over the next five years in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The program aims to reduce the vulnerability of communities to HIV and its impact through:

• preventing further infections
• expanding care
• providing treatment and support
• reducing stigma and discrimination

Caroline's story

Caroline, aged 13, has lost both her parents to AIDS. Now she is alone in the village of Chisiki, in southern Malawi.

Caroline is a pretty little girl of 13. When you see her dance with her friends, you would almost think that she does not have a care in the world. Yet in the beautiful region of Mwachongo Forest, in southern Malawi, tragedy has struck her family.

Caroline is one of the thousands of children in southern Africa who are known as 'orphans due to AIDS'. "I am the youngest of a family of four children", she explains. "I lost my mother at the age of 7. Last month, my daddy died".

Caroline's older brothers and sisters are either studying at a boarding school far from the village or have married. So Caroline lives alone at home and has to look after herself.

Fortunately, the destitute teenager has found help at Chisoko Community Child Care Centre, which is run by the Malawi Red Cross with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The Red Cross Children's Home takes in 750 persons from Monday to Friday.

The centre has places for 750 children. Those aged one to six years attend kindergarden, where they learn the alphabet but also engage in manual, sports and play activities. They also receive hygiene and prevention tips as well as counselling. The oldest, like Caroline, aged from seven to 18 years, also have access to basic support even though primary schooling is free in Malawi.

"Many of the children who attend the centre are living with HIV", confides Taonga Nyekanyeka, the head of the HIV and AIDS project in Mwanza region. "But there can be no question for us of isolating them from the other children. The community has to stay united in order to avoid rejection and discrimination", he explains.

Fifty-five volunteers from the Malawi Red Cross take turns looking after the young people, while 28 others visit people living with AIDS within the framework of the home-based care programme.

Owing to its limited means, the Malawi Red Cross cannot provide for these children's future on its own. "I am going to finish primary school soon but I have no money to pay for secondary school", worries Caroline.

The Malawi Red Cross is gradually setting up a programme for the payment of school fees for children orphaned by AIDS. Unfortunately, Mwanza region is not yet covered, but the funding should come in time to help Caroline.

When we ask the girl what she would like to do later on, she answers that she would like to become a nun. It is clear that above and beyond her faith, Caroline is also looking for protection against a world she must face alone.

Caroline leaves us to go over to her music and dance group created by the centre, the Chisungalalo Band, which means "The orchestra of happiness" in Chechewa, the local language. Today, this group has become her real family and one of her few sources of joy.

Learn more about the Seeing Red campaign.

Learn more about the work being done in southern Africa.