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Rejoice Amidst Despair
Rejoice's Goal is to provide the much needed medical and social support system to the poor, sick and under-privileged living in Chiang Mai's villages and the surrounding hill areas. In particular, Rejoice addresses the diverse array of medical and social needs of HIV/AIDS affected people.
Rejoice's programmes cater to a variety of needs, there are HIV/AIDS medical care, HIV/AIDS education and prevention programmes, free infant formulas, education sponsorships and one to one counselling.
The distribution of infant formulas has been very effective. Apparently, babies born to infected mothers may not develop HIV/AIDS if not breastfed.
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"All the children who have been provided with baby milk formula have successfully avoided HIV infection. It has reduce the risk of maternal-child transmission through breast milk," says Steve Hallam, Director of Rejoice.
"While there are drugs available to help prevent mother-to-infant transmission in many countries, they are quite expensive and only available in limited quantities in South-East Asia. A large percentage of babies born to infected mothers test positive for HIV at birth." says Lavell.
"It takes 18 months to two years for an infant to develop its immune system fully. If the child was breastfed then the infant would be receiving daily quantities of HIV-infected breast milk. If the foetus is given preventive medication via the mother, and both mother and infant are on preventive medication, then HIV can be reduced by 38% with drugs. The formula milk, although not a drug, provides the right kind of nutrition and enables most infants to develop their immune system naturally. After two years they are tested negative," adds Lavell.
(Based on an article published in StarTwo (Malaysia), on 22 October 2003)
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One of Rejoice's most important programmes is the provision of medical services in the form of a mobile clinic, providing weekly visits where medical treatment and care are given. The AIDS epidemic has affected families badly, both economically and socially, leaving a huge number of AIDS affected or infected children in its wake.
Education while being a basic right for children in many parts of the world, is a rare privilege for the poor children in Chiang Mai. While the government provides free education, the children are unable to afford uniforms, bags and books. We hopes to help put these children through school.
With so many projects running, and so much needy people to reach out to, Rejoice requires a lot of funding, it is dependent on the generosity of donors who have helped Rejoice reach out to more than a thousand families since its establishment in 1998.
Personal donations are welcomed, and so are corporate sponsorships. Your donation could help many people and save many children's lives.
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