HOPE COMFORT SUPPORT GROUP

Hope Comfort Support Group is group that focuses its attention on positive living and self-support among the HIV infected persons. The group is found in Balaka and started at Comfort clinics on 15th June 2005 since the clinic was among the first health centers to provide anti-retroviral medicine in the Balaka region. All members HIV positive, the group was initially chaired by Mr. Edward and the late Mr. Chimwemwe Usseni and their board of trustees is comprised of Mr. Henderson Nlashi and Mr. Charles Sinetre. Currently, the group has 150 members and all are from the Balaka region.

The group first got its funds from GOAL Malawi before they pulled out, leaving the group short of funds. However, the group has a home based care that helps to provide support to the members of Hope Comfort Support Group. For instance, the group rears pigs, has a maize, peanut, and Soya fields.

Among other activities, the group engages in awareness campaigns, encouraging people to go for Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT), giving hope i.e. positive living to people, and advocating distigmatization against the people living with HIV.

The group meets at Pilgrim house at Balaka catholic Parish every Thursday from 2:00 pm. However, group members need a numbers of things such as a descent office building since they usually meet in an open space outside the buildings, bicycles to use as transport, regular education for positive living, fertilizer to apply in crop fields, and subsidized body boosting Sibusiso. Above all, the group is looking for well wishers to fund their various projects and activities.

In a special note, the group representative Mr. Jackson Edward thanks GOAL Malawi for the initial help they rendered to the group, Fr. Mario Pacifici for allowing DREAM Malawi project to establish it self at Andiamo Campus as this gives easy access to anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs). He continues to thank CADECOM (Mangochi Diocese) for their MK80, 000 donation that they used to start pig farming and part of the money was spent on fertilizer. Lastly, Mr. Edward thanks Herbal Garden and Chifundo Project for herbal (traditional) medicine to boost the immune system.

Eugenio Njoloma

Images

Jack Edward -Group Representative