Program Summary

AIDS is responsible for over 3 million deaths in Africa. Despite major investments in AIDS prevention, the rate of HIV infection in many African countries is still rising. The HIV/AIDS epidemic has exacerbated poverty and malnutrition. Families hit by AIDS see their food production cut in half. UNAIDS and WHO estimate that 7 out of 10 people newly infected with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa. Of all AIDS-related deaths since the epidemic started, 83% have come from Africa.

The single parent's foundation has been actively involved in care and support for HIV/AIDS patients and young dependants. Most of the young dependants (children) are orphans who have lost a parent to the HIV/AIDS; some are living with the disease. The single parent foundation provides financial, social and material support for affected people and their children by providing them with:

• :: Healthcare


• :: Supplying them with antiretroviral drugs


• :: Visiting the weak at their homes to provide medication and emotional support


• :: Re-enrolling the affected children who have dropped out of school due to lack of support


• :: Supplying educational materials to children in school


• :: Helping the young ones with their studies and training the healthy affected adults in an income generating activity to sustain their livelihood

At a Glance

Minimum Program Length:	2 weeks
Start Date:	Every Monday
Arrival Date:	2 days prior to your Start Date (Saturday)
Minimum Age:	18 years old
Volunteer Gender:	Male and Female
Accommodation:	During their stay, all volunteers are housed with host families in the community they will be based. Volunteers will typically have their own private but at times it may be necessary to share your room with another volunteer. The host families are consistently screened with their information updated on regular basis to make sure they meet our standards.
Food:	2-3 meals per day will be provided by the homestay family. Meals will typically be made with rice, chicken, beef, tea, coffee, bread, eggs, soup, potato, oats, fruits, and fish. Vegetarians can be accomodated. Drinking water is an issue we take seriously and we make sure that volunteers drink only distilled and treated water.
Pick-up Info:	A Volunteer Visions representative will be at Kotoka International Airport to pick you up and guide you to your project location.
Project Schedule:	Volunteers will participate in their program 4-8 hours from Monday to Friday. During the weekends, volunteers are free to travel to explore local communities or engage in activities with their homestay family.

Your role as a Volunteer

As a volunteer you will be working directly with HIV/AIDS victims in the singel parent foundation. Working with the single parent foundation shall expose a volunteer to the several causes and after effects of HIV/AIDS and provide the volunteer the platform to share love with the affected adults and children who are mostly orphans.

The experienced and charming Kwame is the project coordinator. He has worked as the projects coordinator for the single parent foundation for the past three years and has supervised over 50 volunteers.

The HIV/AIDS Care project will allow you to participate in the following types of activities:

• :: Offer care and support for HIV/AIDS infected children and adults


• :: Engage in educational and training activities meant to increase awareness and stop the epidemic of HIV/AIDS in Ghana.


• :: Assist in vocational training for the HIV infected persons who have either lost their jobs or unemployed Organizations who work on the HIV/AIDS problem have established different community outreach programs such as hospital care, recreational and educational programs, voluntary counseling and testing, and educational seminars and conferences on the virus within the local community. Volunteers help is very needy in all of these activities.

Project Location

The HIV/AIDS care projects take place in rural areas of Ghana. There are three main villages where the projects are concentrated:

Yeji

The Yeji town is a lovely local town with a cosmopolitan outlook. It serves as the meeting point for traders both from the south and the north of the country. Plotted on the shores of the Volta lake (damned into the largest manmade lake in the world few miles south of Yeji) fishing is very active in the town which also happens to be one of the leading trading centers in the country. With a population of about 125,000, the presence of traders from all parts of the country has forced the town to take up about 300,000 people per day. Trading in farm produce, fresh and preserved fish from the volta river, and livestock are the leading activities. Child labour and early marriage are the leading social problems of the bicycle populated town. The standard of living of the people in the town is low.

Sepaase Village

The Sepaase village is on the highways leading to big farming villages in the west of the country. Surrounded by several communities and very close to Kumasi (second largest city in Ghana), Sepaase village does not have any brisk commercial activity. Most of the inhabitants survive on peasant farming whilst the rest are engaged in various types of employment in the city.

Kodie Village

Located at Kodie, a village on the highway leading to the northern part of the country, the town serves several communities around the village. About 8 miles from Kumasi (second largest city in Ghana), Kodie village does not have any central commercial activity. Most of the inhabitants survive on peasant farming whilst the rest are engaged in various types of employment in the city and other close district capitals such as Offinso.

Suggested Skills and Interests

No specific skills are required for the AIDS/HIV care project. If you do have a background in medicine or related field, your skills would be welcomed. More than anything else, you should have the desire to help and work with AIDS victims and learn about their struggles.

Suggested Donations

Donations of books, pens, notebooks, basic medical supplies, clothes, blankets, hygienic items, games etc. are welcomed. For large sum donations, please contact the Volunteer Visions office.