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MARCH Social Services
We have observed that the HIV infected persons in the community are often homeless, hungry, and ill, and all are living in absolute poverty. Treating HIV under these conditions is complex, and requires a wholistic approach to health in order to truly prolong life. Therefore, MARCH social services was created to build houses for the homeless, provide food supplementation for those who are going hungry, and microcredit loans for those who would like to begin a small commercial enterprise that will allow them to develop financial independence from MARCH. New mothers are given the option of bottle feeding or exclusive breast feeding, and encouraged to make their own informed decision. Those who choose to avoid transmitting HIV to their infants through breast milk receive a free supply of infant formula for 9 months, together with a large pot to boil water in, bottles, nipples, cleaning materials, and intensive education about how to bottle feed safely within their environment. Many of the accompagnateurs are also community health agents, and all have been trained in the techniques of safe infant feeding. To read a story and see pictures of a family who urgently needed MARCH social services, click on the link below, entitled “Romullia’s Family”.
