Caribbean region battling HIV/AIDS, needs help to win the fight

It’s been 30 years since the world first learned about the dreadful disease that attacks a person’s body by destroying specific blood cells that fight infections. According to the World Health Organization, since the beginning of this pandemic, more than 60 million people worldwide have been infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and nearly 30 million have died from this virus that causes AIDS or acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

Many medical advances have been made, including the introduction of antiretroviral drugs like AZT in 1987 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In the mid-90s a highly active combo of medicines were introduced to treat the virus. Today, these medicines are helping those infected with HIV to live longer and to have productive lives.

“It is these medicines Food For The Poor is seeking to obtain through donors and partner organizations to help those living with HIV/AIDS and those infected by this virus get the treatment and support they need,” said Robin Mahfood, CEO/President of Food For The Poor. “This ministry has been saving lives, transforming communities and renewing hope in the Caribbean and Latin America for nearly 30 years. We are committed to using all available resources to support the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS for those we serve.”

Food For The Poor helps to empower 33 facilities throughout the Caribbean and Latin America that care for more than 10,000 individuals with this virus. In the Caribbean, in 2009, more than 240,000 people in the region were living with HIV. In that same year there were 20,000 new infections, and 12,000 deaths that resulted from AIDS-related illnesses, according to statements by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

Due to these staggering statistics, Food For The Poor has been invited to participate and is on the planning committee for the very first conference on AIDS in the Caribbean region. Food For The Poor will be represented by Susan Moore, Director of Healthcare for Food For The Poor’s Jamaica office.

“Food For The Poor has always been there for the people of Jamaica, and many in the Caribbean. I am hopeful this conference will help to break down stigmas about this disease so we can continue to help as many people as possible,” said Moore.

Food For The Poor has provided ongoing support to Jamaica’s Mustard Seed Community for more than 25 years. The Mustard Seed orphanage cares for the abandoned, the disabled, and for children who are HIV positive. Since 2003, Food For The Poor’s Our Lady of The Poor Medical Clinic at Bernard Mevs Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, has been serving those affected by the disease. The clinic runs a comprehensive prevention mother-to-child HIV/AIDS transmission program and clinic for infected patients. In the Dominican Republic, Food For The Poor has partnered with Fundacion Cruz Jiminian, which collaborates with two organizations there to provide testing, counseling, and medication.

“We are touching the lives of the infected and those who are affected especially the children,” said Rachmani Domersant, Vice President of International Operations for Food For The Poor. “We are so thankful to be in a position to help, and to have an active role in this fight against HIV/AIDS – what a blessing!”

More than 2,500 participants, including doctors, researchers, healthcare providers, organizations and HIV patients have registered to attend the 2011 Caribbean HIV Conference –Strengthening Evidence to Achieve Sustainable Action. The conference is scheduled for November 18-21, 2011 in Nassau, Bahamas, at the Atlantis Hotel & Resort. For details on the conference click on www.2011caribbeanhivconference.org.

Food For The Poor, the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 96 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Contact:
Wanda Wright
Food For The Poor
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6079
wandaw@foodforthepoor.com

Strangers unite in a journey of hope for Honduras

It’s been 12 years in the making, and now 13 strangers from varied backgrounds will be forever united after making a commitment to help the poorest of the poor in Honduras. The group decided to put words into action, and fund a home building project after traveling with Food For The Poor on its first mission trip to the Central American country in early April.

“I was at my happiest on this trip when we as a group were doing something to help the people,” said Jeanne Johnson, a volunteer from Kansas. “I was so pleased that we actually got to do projects instead of driving past the people and observing from afar.”

On the first day, the team braved the heat as they gathered in the courtyard of a Food For The Poor-sponsored warehouse in San Pedro Sula. They stuffed big plastic bags with smaller bags of beans, rice, sugar, juices, personal care items and treats for the children. After a few hours in the still-rising heat, nearly 200 bags were delivered to the village of Ocotillo, a 30-minute ride from the complex.

Dozens of women, children and elderly waited patiently for their monthly supply of much needed and much appreciated goods. Many in the group of travelers did not speak Spanish, but that didn’t matter because the exchange between giver and receiver spoke louder than any words.

“Realizing that one family must live off of one bag of sugar, one bag of beans, and one bag of rice seemed ludicrous,” said Sarah Rohrman, from New Jersey. “However, knowing that this is how so many families live day-by-day really puts things into perspective.”

“In spite of their plight, the sincere happiness I see in these children’s faces is truly amazing. They have so little, I will never forget what I am seeing here today,” said Joshua Miller of Ohio.

The second stop in Ocotillo was at the city dump. Vultures, cows, pigs, goats, and dogs wandered, while people picked through mounds of garbage, working side-by-side in search of sellable goods and food. For some, this way of life has existed for generations. The “pickers,” as they’re called, wanted the group to ask God to please bless the garbage in order that their daily needs would be found in the trash – an odd request that brought all who heard it to tears.

“Mentally, the most meaningful site was the Ocotillo village and the dump. Both locations brought home to me the true sense of the need for education, and the assistance the very poor of the country also need,” said Doug Frederick, from Pennsylvania.

With many in need of sturdy housing, the second workday began with a two hour drive from San Pedro Sula into the mountain region of Santa Barbara. After weaving through hairpin turns, and cruising near cliffs so high the valley below was barely in view, the group reached the work site. They hiked up a steep hill and began constructing the foundations of two, two-room homes for a family of 16, who all shared a one-room hut on a ridge very close to the construction site.

“I am blown away by all of this because I am actually building a house for someone and it feels great!” said Anita Buckmaster of Texas.

The home building didn’t end there, the group traveled to a third housing site where they mortared, installed windows, and painted the front of the house green and orange. The 400-square-foot house has a porch, rests on a cement foundation, has a bathroom and is topped with a sturdy zinc roof.

The excitement came full circle when Efigenia Ramirez was presented with a key to a new home for herself and her family of 11.

“It’s beautiful, it’s so beautiful,” said Ramirez, in Spanish. “I thank you; thank you all for helping me and my family. I love the colors.”

The third and final workday began at the Pimienta Training Center in the Sula Valley where the group got to experience the harvesting of tilapia from a fish farm, animal husbandry projects and the planting of Moringa trees.

“My daughter, Ellie, and I feel blessed to have this opportunity to help the people of Honduras. The hands-on approach to various projects, such as planting these amazing trees, is one of many unforgettable experiences for us,” said Sofia Goerdt of Minnesota.

“Each site was very meaningful, but I recognize the vital importance of the training center because it teaches people how to be self-sufficient,” added Diana Scheeler from Illinois.

The team also visited an AIDS hospice facility and passed out hygiene kits to patients who are well enough to live outside the facility. The time the volunteers spent with the residents may have been short, but the precious moments of loving kindness and the exchange of compassion made a powerful impact.

“Those who are poor, and/or disabled in the United States have access to programs like free clinics, social security, disability, public aid, etcetera – they don’t,” said Susan O’Neal of Illinois.

The third workday ended with a visit to a home for 33 children living with HIV/AIDS. To hear their laugher and to see their smiles made it easy to forget they are ill. Many in the group paired off and distributed toys, school supplies and treats to the children.

“This was one of the greatest learning experiences of my life. I feel blessed to have been a part of this mission,” said Deacon Ron Karcher of Illinois.

“We are so excited to finally be able to send a mission group to Honduras for the first time so they see for themselves the various projects we have in place there,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “I am looking forward to many more mission trips to the Central American country in the near future. By working together we will be able to permanently transform lives.”

Please visit www.foodforthepoor.org/hondurasapril2011 to learn how to help with this home building project.

To view more pictures from the trip, please visit Food For The Poor's Facebook page.

Food For The Poor, the third-largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian agency provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 96 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.foodforthepoor.org.

Contact:
Wanda Wright
Food For The Poor
Public Relations
954-427-2222 x 6079
wandaw@foodforthepoor.com