Haiti: local volunteers bring hope and support for parents with HIV

Through difficult times and beyond, the volunteer delegate mothers of Haiti are bringing a ray of sunshine to families where a parent is living with HIV. This project in Haiti is proving that more than ever, supporting local solutions to local issues really does make a bigger and longer-lasting difference.

In Haiti, Plan supports the work of the Maison l’Arc-en-ciel to deliver home care to children and families affected by AIDS in some of the poorest and most unstable neighbourhoods of Port-au-Prince.

The work focuses on:

• nutrition
• livelihood
• emotional support
• community mobilisation to eliminate stigma and discrimination

These important needs are often overlooked in the international discussion about access to HIV treatment.

For children of infected parents, nothing can replace the care their parents can give them. So Plan supports projects that support adults living with HIV: so that they can carry on being parents for as long as possible.

Community volunteers

Home visits became a lifeline for families. Initially conducted by a social worker and an auxiliary nurse, these teams soon expanded to include community volunteers: the Delegate Mothers (mères déléguées), who were themselves women living with HIV. This proved an even more vital resource when security risks meant outsiders could no longer enter the community.

In 2003, the deteriorating security situation made it unsafe for outsiders to enter the poor neighbourhoods of Port-au-Prince. The visits of the professional home-care teams had to be abandoned, but the Delegate Mothers continued their work. Today 9 volunteers provide home-care to 165 families with more than 500 children and adults.

The volunteers are elected for a term of 6 months. Many of them are re-elected at the end of their term. They are trained in primary care and other home-care tasks, and are given a schedule of visits. They help with household chores and child care, check on the health status and well-being of the children, and ensure that they take their medications regularly. They arrange medical consultations and help the parents when they have difficulties obtaining services at the hospital. They are more than home-care workers; they are friends and the backbone of support for the families living with HIV.

Mother's pride

The Delegate Mothers take great pride in their work and keep closely to their schedule. Every 2 weeks they meet with a social worker to report on their activities: most cannot read or write so face-to-face contact is invaluable. They discuss what they found during their visits, and jointly work on solutions to problems experienced by families in their care.

The program has been highly successful. The confidence of the Maison l’Arc-en-ciel in the Delegate Mothers has motivated them in their work, greatly increased their self-esteem, and given them renewed hope in their own lives. The positive energy of the Delegate Mothers has proven infectious and is a source of renewed hope among families living with HIV in the poor neighbourhoods of Port-au-Prince.