USAID Funds Day Care for HIV+ Kids
Liniya Zhyttya (Life Line), the sole HIV service organization in Ukraine’s Gorlovka, Donetsk oblast, works to provide support and services to various groups affected by HIV/AIDS, including mothers with young children. In October 2007, USAID’s Families for Children Program (FCP) awarded the organization with a grant to start a day care room for children born to HIV-positive mothers.
Demand for child care has grown, with more and more women dropping by the organization, pleading with staff to look after their toddlers so that they could keep a doctor’s appointment, meet a potential employer, talk with a social worker, or attend a support group. The majority of these mothers are single parents unable to afford standard child care. Liniya Zhyttya was ready to provide a room for the children, but did not have enough money for refurbishment, furniture, and toys. With support from USAID, the children’s room was organized and equipped, and a caregiver was recruited. Since the project’s start in October 2007, 15 children between the ages of six months and four years have visited the site. The children have enjoyed meeting and playing with other children, discovering new toys and games—while their moms, with care in place, are able to attend in a new support group: the Young Mothers Club.
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Kids discover new toys and games at Liniya Zhyttya, while their HIV+ mothers attend support group, seek medical care, or interview for work
Photo Credit: Olesya Dolynska |
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