THE IDEA FOR THE PROJECT CAME FROM A DISCUSSION BETWEEN A CLINICIAN AT ST. ANDREWS RURAL COMMUNITY HOSPITAL AND A VISITING BRITISH COLUMBIA BUSINESS MANAGER.

ALTHOUGH HIV/AIDS SERVICES WERE AVAILABLE AT THE KASUNGU DISTRICT CAPITAL, THERE WAS NOTHING AVAILABLE IN THE EASTERN HALF OF THE DISTRICT. PEOPLE HAD TO TRAVEL 25 TO 60 KILOMETERS TO ACCESS SERVICES. THE RURAL FARMERS OF KASUNGU EAST COULD NOT AFFORD THE COST OF LOCAL TRANSPORTATION TO DO THIS; MOREOVER, MANY WERE TOO ILL TO MAKE THE JOURNEY – THIS WAS THE CATALYST TO STARTING THE PROJECT. THE PROJECT WAS CALLED ‘TIGWIRANE MANJA’ (‘LET’S WORK TOGETHER’).

DURING 2007, THE EMPHASIS WAS ON INFORMATION, EDUCATION, COMMUNICATION (I.E.C.). MIS-INFORMATION ABOUT HIV/AIDS AND THE STIGMA OFTEN FACED BY HIV POSITIVE PERSONS WERE ADDRESSED BY CONSULTATIONS WITH VILLAGE CHIEFS, ELDERS AND OTHER NOTABLES, THEN WITH GRAND I.E.C. SESSIONS WITH WHOLE VILLAGES INVOLVED.

IN THE SAME YEAR WE ALSO STARTED ACADEMIC SUPPORT FOR HIV POSITIVE PEOPLE WHO HAD CHALLENGES OF ACCESS TO NECESSARY RESOURCES REQUIRED.

VILLAGE AIDS COMMITTEES (V.A.C.’S) WERE SET UP IN EACH VILLAGE AND SELECTED VILLAGERS WERE TRAINED AS COMMUNITY MOTIVATORS AND HOME BASED CARE WORKERS. THUS, A STRUCTURE FOR DELIVERY OF SERVICES WAS LAID DOWN.

THE ABOVE PROGRAMS WERE CONTINUED INTO THE NEW YEAR, AND HIV TESTING AND COUNSELLING SERVICES ADDED. FACT FINDING TRIPS TO PROJECTS SUCH AS DIGNITAS INTERNATIONAL IN ZOMBA DISTRICT, AND PARTNERS IN HEALTH’S NEW HOSPITAL AT NENO IN THE SOUTH OF MALAWI, BOTH WITH WIDE EXPERIENCE IN HIV/AIDS, CONTRIBUTED GREATLY TO OUR KNOWLEDGE BASE.

OUR FIRST OFFICE WAS OPENED AT WIMBE, AND AS THE PRIMARY FOCUS WAS ON WIMBE TRADITIONAL AUTHORITY, A SUB-DIVISION OF KASUNGU DISTRICT, THE PROJECT NAME WAS CHANGED TO “WIMBE HIV / AIDS PROJECT”.

A HAEMATOLOGY ANALYSER WAS PROVIDED FOR THE LAB AT ST. ANDREWS TO ENHANCE OUR DIAGNOSTIC CAPACITY.

AS A PROJECT WE SPONSORED THE TRAINING OF THE FIRST TWO HIV TESTING AND COUNSELING COUNSELORS IN ORDER TO MEET THE MAWAWI STANDARDS OF HIV TESTING.

A NEW HIV/AIDS CLINIC WAS BUILT TO MINISTRY OF HEALTH (MoH) SPECIFICATIONS ON THE GROUNDS OF ST. ANDREWS HOSPITAL AND A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING SIGNED, WITH “K2-TASO” (N.G.O.) DONATING THE CLINIC TO ST. ANDREWS ON THE UNDERSTANDING THAT IT BE OPERATED AS PART OF THE HOSPITAL. THE (ARV) DRUGS SUPPLY IS THROUGH THE SUPPORT OF THE MALAWI GOVERNMENT (MINISTRY OF HEALTH HIV/AIDS UNIT.)

HOSPITAL STAFF WERE TRAINED IN ANTI-RETROVIRAL PROVISION, HIGHLY ACTIVE ANTI-RETROVIRAL THERAPY (HAART) BECAME AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN KASUNGU, EAST. AT TIME OF WRITING, MORE THAN 600 PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS (PLWHAS), ARE UNDER TREATMENT AT OUR CLINIC AND THE CLINIC HAS RECEIVED CONTINUOUS (EVERY 3 MONTHS) ‘AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE’ FROM THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH (MoH).

A TOYOTA ‘HIGH ACE’ VAN WAS BOUGHT TO ACT AS AMBULANCE / PERSONNEL TRANSPORTER AS WELL AS MOTORCYCLES AND BICYCLES FOR HOME-BASED CARE WORKERS.

TRANSPORT OF PLWHAS TO THE CLINIC, BLANKETS, HYGIENE ITEMS (SOAP AND LAUNDRY SOAP) PROVIDED, PAYMENT OF MEDICAL BILLS, NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT, GROUP THERAPY AND INDIVIDUAL COUNSELLING WERE EXPANDED AND PROVISION OF SEEDS AND FERTILIZERS TO THOSE HEALTHY ENOUGH TO GROW THEIR OWN FOOD, PROVIDED.

A SECOND OFFICE WAS OPENED AT CHIMBIYA VILLAGE AND THE VILLAGE CHIEF DONATED A PRIME TRACT OF LAND BY THE RIVER TO BE USED BY THE PLWHAS TO GROW THEIR OWN FOOD.

WOMEN WERE SELECTED AND TRAINED IN THE RAISING AND CARE OF GOATS BY AGRICULTURAL EXPERTS FROM THE MALAWI DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE, THEIR FAMILIES DIETS WERE IMPROVED AND EXTRA MILK SOLD TO GENERATE A SMALL INCOME. EACH WOMAN ARGEED TO PROVIDE 2 GOAT KIDS TO OTHER WOMEN WITH HIV/AIDS. THIS NEW INITIATIVE IS CALLED THE "GOAT PASS-ON PROGRAM" A PROCESS OF PASSING-ON OF THE NEWLY BORN GOAT TO ANOTHER HIV POSITIVE WOMAN.

A SENIOR PROJECT BOARD MEMBER WAS SELECTED FOR A 3 YEAR DIPLOMA PROGRAM AT THE NATURAL RESOURCE COLLEGE (N.R.C.) IN FOOD, NUTRITION AND LIVELIHOOD SECURITY AND WILL DIRECT OPERATIONS IN THIS UPON RETURNING TO FULL TIME EMPLOYMENT WITH THE PROJECT.

A THIRD OFFICE WAS OPENED IN ANOTHER AREA AT KAPYANGA VILLAGE AND ALL OF OUR SERVICES INTRODUCED THERE. YOUTH FRIENDLY COUNSELLING WAS INTRODUCED AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, DOOR-TO-DOOR HIV TESTING AND COUNSELLING (HTC). A MAJOR DEVELOPMENT WAS THE PROVISION OF A ‘STATE-OF-THE-ART’ PIMA ‘POINT-OF-CARE’ CD-4 CELL COUNT ANALYSER WHICH ENABLES US TO PERFORM THIS VITAL MONITORING TEST ON PATIENTS RIGHT IN THE FIELD IN MINUTES, SAVING THEM A LONG TREK TO A DISTRICT HOSPITAL AND A 2 WEEK WAIT FOR RESULTS.

MANY NEW TRAININGS, OFTEN WITH GOVERNMENT AND OTHER EXPERT FACILITATORS WERE PROVIDED TO OUR CARE WORKERS, INCLUDING TRAINING TO IDENTIFY T.B., A COMMON CO-INFECTION OF HIV/AIDS.

THE ORGANIZATION IS GROWING IN MALAWI AND THIS YEAR WILL SEE IT GRADUATING FROM A ‘COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION’ (C.B.O.) TO A NATIONALLY REGISTERED ‘NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION’ (N.G.O.), NECESSITATING YET ANOTHER NAME CHANGE. HENCEFOREWARD, WE WILL BE KNOW AS “K2-TASO“ N.G.O. UNDER THE CAPABLE LEADERSHIP OF PETER MINJALE, NOW ALSO THE SENIOR MEDICAL OFFICER AND CLINICIAN AT ST. ANDREWS HOSPITAL, AND OUR DEDICATED BOARD OF DIRECTORS IN MALAWI, WE LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING AN EVEN LARGER IMPACT ON HIV/AIDS IN CENTRAL MALAWI.