TTF Partners with Family Legacy Zambia

The line of children waiting to be tested/screened. The children are organized by their camp groups. There are 15 children per Zambian and American counsel (Family Legacies system). This Line stayed consistently long for much of CAMP LIFE as TTAF screened all children with consent forms.

Recently, Tiny Tim and Friends (TTAF) and Family Legacy Zambia have formed a very exciting partnership. Family Legacy is a missionary focused organization that has been working in Zambia since 2000. They have established a very organized system for keeping touch with and keeping records on thousands and thousands of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs). Tiny Tim and Friends has begun offering medical screenings that focus on HIV for all the children in these networks programs. To start of the partnership, large screenings began during “CAMP LIFE”, which is a Family Legacy camp program for the children. Tiny Tim and Friends will also start medical screenings though the Family Legacy community center structures that are build though our every compound community in Lusaka.

Volunteer Michael is weighing and recording the height of each child. The height and weight are used to calculate the child's body mass index (BMI) which is important to determine drug doses (if necessary). Also as part, of a research study that TTAF is is conducting the height at weight will be used to see if BMI is related to HIV status. This information could focus future testing events for large groups to start with the people of the lowest BMIs.

Family Legacies social network is ideal for connecting too, testing, and providing care for, and conducting follow ups, for potentially thousands of HIV positive children in Lusaka. And Tiny Tim and Friends has designed and begun implementing a program to do just that.

These outreach events are the largest ever for children in the region. More children are offered the chance to start ARVs early than ever before!

There are four pieces to this outreach program:

1) Consent forms. It is important for the OVC’s caregivers to consent to allow their children to be tested for HIV. This is a delicate issue because of HIV stigma, local beliefs that blood can be used for witchcraft, and the simple fact that if the child tests positive it is a good indicator that they transmitted the virus from their parents (such is the case for single orphans or vulnerables). The Tim Tim and Staff is almost 90% effective in having caregivers allow testing. With Family legacy, because there is such a large amount of children to target, Tiny Tim and Friends has trained Family Legacy’s community workers to distribute the consent forms and conduct the pre-test counseling… we are finding about a 70% success rate… and are exploring ways to improve these percentages. For example, we expect an increase once we start working out of the community centers… where we will have more direct contact with the caregivers.

2) Testing. The Children with consent forms are all tested for HIV. In addition to HIV testing, the testers are sensitive to issues such as malnutrition, tuberculosis, pallor, skin infections, or injuries… where they are seen by TTAF’s chief clinical officer, Ntula.

Clinical Officer, Ntula, senses respiratory problems, and prepares to listen to the young girls chest as part of her physical. He is being especially sensitive to signs of tuberculosis.

3) Results. The results are to be given out to all those who have been tested. Both negative and positive results are given in private with our two counselors: Fernando and Justin. The fact that everyone is called in for results reduces the stigma for the results process. Because we are mainly dealing with children, the results are given to the parents/guardians. If the results are negative then it is a very good opportunity to discuss and teach information about HIV. If results are positive, then the child is enrolled in an anti-retroviral (ARV) therapy program.

4) Enrollment. All children who test positive will be enrolled in an ARV program. Children can be enrolled in a public system or with the TTAF team. Children with especially complicated social/ medical needs will be given priority to the TTAF medical program