Stolen Childhood

At only four years of age, Soma, a little girl from the village of South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, realizes that her life is not like that of other children.

A beautiful and loving child, Soma wants to interact with everyone. Instead, she is dismissed by her community as "undesirable" and no one will play with her.

After the birth of her two older siblings, Soma's father migrated to Mumbai in search of work and Soma was born after his return. Unfortunately, she started suffering frequent illnesses soon after her birth. Soma was finally tested for HIV. She tested HIV-positive as did her mother and father.

Hearing the news, her father immediately left the village, abandoning Soma, her two brothers and her mother. Soma and her family now live in her maternal grandparents' shack. Her grandparents and others blame Soma's mother for the situation saying "It's her failure as a woman that her husband visited another woman."

"I was earning INR 300 (8 USD) a month by preparing cow dung cakes used as fuel for cooking, but it was not enough to take care of Soma's nutritional needs," says Soma's mother. "But, when Soma went to pre-school, she received additional food and it helped. I finally had to take her out of school because of the cruelty of her classmates. They would tell her she was a bad girl all the time."

Soma still wants to go to school, but can't. She wants to befriend other children and run and play with them but they won't play with her. She knows she is treated differently from other children in her community and now she won't talk in front of anyone except her mother and brother.

Through CCFC, Sunderban HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (SHAPP) provides children like Soma with regular counselling, free medication, and check-ups.

Measuring Victory
One individual, one treatment, one recovered life at a time

Eight-year-old Melku is HIV-positive. His mother, Zema, was diagnosed with HIV five years ago, but to her utter amazement, does not know how she became infected.

Even crueller is the fact Melku's father has leprosy and earns a meagre living begging on the streets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

"My poor child was always going to hospitals for treatment of repeated illnesses, and then they told me Melku was HIV-positive," remembers Zema. "I was overwhelmed with despair."

However, all was not lost.

Hope came to Melku and his family in the form of HAPSCO, a local partner working with CCFC in Ethiopia. Through HAPSCO's assistance, Melku and his family were given the "hand up" they needed to survive and make a better life for themselves.

"Melku and I are now participants in the ART treatment program which helps me feel stronger so that I can look for work," says Zema.

"Until I am well enough, HAPSCO and CCFC will help us with our housing, wheat and oil."

Melku's health is improving and his weight has increased since he started treatment. He now has the energy to play with his friends and regain some of the joy and happiness every child needs," she adds.

With more than two million people in Ethiopia living with HIV/AIDS, this victory may appear small. But it isn't. It isn't small to Melku and Zema. It isn't small to the people who love them and it isn't small to CCFC supporters who show they care through their generous donations.

Age Impacts Future

"I participated in the soccer league where I learned that HIV is a sexually transmitted virus that turns into AIDS. I think using sports, like soccer, is good way to learn about this disease. Knowing this information will help me make the right decisions," says Judith, a 14 year-old girl from the Carlos Nunez neighbourhood.

Targeting adolescents aged 15 to 19, is important for three reasons.

First, this age group is highly influenced by parents, peers and other intimate relationships.

Second, adolescence is often when sexual behaviour begins.

Third, it is easiest to make behavioural changes at this age.

This age group holds the most potential to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.