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# HIV/AIDS PROGRAM FACTS

FY2003 (10/2002 -- 9/2003)

The Catholic Medical Mission Board global initiatives and programs are
directed by the overall technical supervision and guidance of the Global
Director of Programs, Rabia Mathai, who is the focal point for program
strategic and policy issues.

***[Choose to Care]{.underline}***

Since 2000, this program has increased the capacity of over 140
community-based projects focused on serving those suffering from
HIV/AIDS in South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland, Botswana and Lesotho.

In collaboration with the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference,
and with support from the Bristol-Myers Squibb "Secure the Future"
program, CMMB's *Choose to Care* program represents a commitment of \$5
million for five years, and focuses on orphan care and placement,
HIV/AIDS treatment and education, and care of the dying.

Since inception in February 2000 through FY2003 (10/2002 -- 9/2003)
*Choose to Care* has funded 140 community-based projects to date and 84
currently.

-   *Orphans reached:* 8,334 most of whom have remained as participants
    in *Choose to Care* community-based programs.

-   *Education beneficiaries:* 69,806 participants in 87 Catholic
    schools in more than 35 parishes.

-   *Home based care:* Over 67,168 people with HIV/AIDS have received
    home based service

    -   12 *Choose to Care* sites have been selected for the
        introduction of *anti-retroviral* treatments in South Africa.
        Most of the locations are current home-based care programs.

**Partners:** Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference and
community-based

projects throughout South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland, Botswana and

Lesotho

###### 

###### **[Born to Live, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV/AIDS]{.underline}**

###### Launched in January 2002 and implemented at CMMB supported clinics, in faith-based healthcare facilities, serves pregnant women in South Africa, Kenya, Swaziland, Zambia, Papua New Guinea and Haiti.

In addition to basic care, CMMB's *Born to Live* programs provide
counseling to pregnant women about HIV/AIDS and includes testing and
education.

-   If women test positive *Born to Live* programs can administer the
    drug Nevirapine that reduces transmission of HIV by as much as 50%.

-   Clinics also provide post-natal testing of baby and continued
    counseling, nutritional support and antibiotic therapy to HIV
    positive mothers.

Since January 2003 through June 2003 CMMB has initiated 45 PMTCT sites:

-   South Africa: 7

-   Kenya: 17

-   Swaziland: 1

-   Haiti: 7

-   Zambia 9

-   Papua New Guinea 4

CMMB PMTCT sites have treated since January 2003 through June 2003:

-   6,251 women counseled (estimate Oct 03: 1,900 women/month)

-   5,958 women tested

-   710 Mothers provided therapy

-   511 Infants provided therapy

-   738 infants exclusively breastfed

In 2003 CMMB has begun the process of scaling up PMTCT sites from 17-60
sites in Kenya and additional locations.

-   **"**We see hope in the many religious and educational institutions
    that are doing effective work on the frontline of the AIDS crisis.
    Catholic Medical Mission Board, for example, runs 15 clinics in
    southern Africa and Haiti where more than 20,000 pregnant women each
    year receive HIV testing and counseling and drug therapy to prevent
    the transmission of the virus to their children."

**-- President George W. Bush,** May 27, 2003 -- at signing of HIV/AIDS
Act

**Partners:** St. Mary's Hospital, Mariannhill, KwaZulu-Natal, South
Africa; Catholic

Church network in North-West Province, South Africa; Kenya Episcopal

Conference, Kenya; Christian Health Association, Kenya; Good Shepherd

Hospital, Swaziland; St. Boniface Haiti Foundation, Haiti; Caritas,

Haiti; Churches Health Association, Zambia; Catholic Bishops Conference

of Papua New Guinea; Boehringer Ingleheim; Abbott Laboratories; local

hospitals and clinics

***[Back to Haiti]{.underline}***

Launched in 2003, in collaboration with faith-based entities this
program supports the initiation and sustainability of preventive primary
healthcare and HIV/AIDS services for mothers and children.

To commemorate CMMB's 75 years of healthcare services to millions of
people in developing nations worldwide, CMMB launched *Back to Haiti* in
2003. CMMB's work began 75 years ago with Dr. Paluel Flagg's work with
lepers in Haiti.

This major public health initiative represents collaborations with the
Catholic Church, the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco and the St.
Boniface Haiti Foundation.

The programs will allow these faith-based entities to initiate and
sustain preventive primary healthcare and HIV/AIDS activities for
mothers and children throughout the Caribbean nation.

-   Salesian Sisters Day Care in Hinche (approximately 60 children)

-   Salesien Sisters School Based project (10 schools with approx 10,000
    girls)

-   PMTCT Fond des Blanc: providing antiretroviral therapy, VCT
    (Voluntary Counseling and Testing) and antibiotic therapy

-   Capacity building within Catholic Church's health ministry: training
    clergy in HIV/AIDS, care, prevention, and treatment

-   Capacity building within RISCAP: training staff in HIV/AIDS care,
    prevention, and treatment

**Partners:** Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco, St. Boniface Haiti
Foundation

Reseau Institutions Sante Catholique (RISCAP), Missionaries of

Charity, community-based projects and hospitals

### 

### 

### **Accion Por La Salud Familiar/Action for Family Health**

In 2002 CMMB partnered with the Pan American Health Organization and
faith-based healthcare facilities to respond to children less than five
years of age who die every year from preventable and treatable diseases
and in Latin America and the Caribbean.

-   *Accion Por La Salud Familiar/Action for Family Health* was launched
    in 2003, and represents collaboration among Catholic healthcare
    networks, PAHO, and ministries of health in El Salvador, Haiti,
    Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

-   The alliance will utilize the PAHO/WHO strategy for the Integrated
    Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI), which was initiated to
    address the fact that nearly 500,000 infants and young children die
    every year in Latin America from preventable illnesses. .

-   These deaths are primarily due to respiratory infections, diarrheal
    diseases, mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS,
    nutrition-related illnesses and perinatal complications.

The three year \$4.4 million partnership aims to save 100,000 lives. The
first year of *Accion Por La Salud Familiar* will accomplish:

-   In Nicaragua, the project will work initially in 8 dioceses
    (Managua, Matagalpa, Jinotega, Juigalpa, Esteli, Leon, Granada, and
    RAAN-RAAS), in a total of 45 sites and benefit 315,689 children
    under 5 (this number- this is tentative as of 11/7)

-   In El Salvador, the project will also work in 8 dioceses (San
    Salvador, La Paz, Santiago de Maria, San Vicente, Chalatenango,
    Sosonate, Santa Ana & San Miguel), in 60 sites and benefit
    approximately 25,000 children under 5.

-   In Haiti, Action for Family Health will be implemented in 6 dioceses
    (Hinche, Jeremie, Port au Prince, Les Cayes, Cap Haitien, Gonaive),
    with 39 sites and serve 75,000 children under 5.

-   In the Dominican Republic, the project will begin in 7 dioceses (San
    Cristobal, Baní, Azua, Santo Domingo, San Juan, El Seibo, & San
    Pedro de Macoris) at 20 sites and a population of 90,000 children
    under 5.

-   In Honduras, the project will be implemented with the Catholic
    University of Honduras (UNICAH) and will start initially in three
    dioceses: The Archdiocese of Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula and Santa
    Rosa de Copan. The approximately 44 sites will benefit roughly
    25,000 children under five.

**Partners:** Pan American Health Institute (PAHO), Caritas, Catholic
universities in

five countries, ministries of health in five countries

###### **[Nuestro Paso por Honduras/Our Path Through Honduras]{.underline}**

In 2003 CMMB and Catholic University of Honduras began a three-year
partnership to establish primary healthcare clinics that will increase
services available to women and children in Honduras.

-   *Nuestro Paso por Honduras/Our Path Through Honduras* was launched
    in 2003 and is aimed at strengthening healthcare availability to
    women and children in Honduras. The program, "Nuestro Paso por
    Honduras," will establish primary healthcare clinics on the campuses
    of the Catholic University in each of the country's seven dioceses
    and in the Intibuca, Lempira, and El Paraiso districts, three
    poverty-stricken areas with acute needs. A program to prevent
    mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) will also be established
    I San Pedro Sula, initially, with additional programs added in the
    future.

-   We anticipate spending more than US\$420,000 on *Nuestro Paso por
    Honduras* in the next three years, with approximately half of that
    amount being spent in the first year. Most of the money will be
    allocated to the purchase of medical equipment and supplies.

**Partners:** Catholic University of Honduras