Our Partnership with Power of Love

Zambia is a country in Sub-Saharan Africa which is rich in natural resources, yet 60% of the population lives below the poverty line. Additionally, there is a high prevalence of HIV and over 1.4 million children have been orphaned, mostly due to parental deaths by AIDS. These orphaned children live with grandmothers, aunts, or in child-headed households with little or no source of income. Matero is one of the largest and poorest district in Lusaka, Zambia. It has a population of approximately 200,000, with approximately 11% of the adults aged living there, aged 15 – 49 being HIV positive. The unemployment rate is upwards of 60% and most residents live on less than $2 per day – which is defined as extreme poverty by the United Nations.

One Day’s Wages partnered with the Power of Love Foundation to provide life-saving health care services to 450 orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia. These children were provided with food, medicine, regular health check-ups, psycho-social counseling, training and monitoring in adherence to medication, and HIV education. Family members were also provided with training in basic nursing and in caring for an HIV+ child. After a few months, the health of the involved children significantly increased, they attended school regularly, and now know-how to prevent the spread of HIV. In addition, family members are now better educated on HIV, received counseling, regularly get tested for HIV, and have started prevention medication, all of which are critical to flattening the spread.