Countless millions have perished in the struggle against poverty and AIDS on the African continent. 

EAST OF MVERA journeys into the heart of Malawi, Africa to tell the story of poverty and AIDS through the eyes of those who live it. 

In Malawi, 12% of the adult population is infected with HIV (compare to 0.6% in the US). There are more than 91,000 children living with AIDS in Malawi and 560,000 children who are orphaned because of AIDS. About two thirds of the orphans we serve are orphaned because of AIDS.

“Globally, around 11% of HIV infections are among babies who acquire the virus from their mothers; 10% result from injecting drug use; 5-10% are due to sex between This Malawian family lives near the Grace Center. They participate in classes in agriculture, AIDS, and development offered at the center.men; and 5-10% occur in healthcare settings. Sex between men and women accounts for the remaining proportion – around two thirds of new infections. 

In the developing world, women and children are most severely affected by HIV/AIDS.  By the end of 2007, the epidemic had left behind 15 million AIDS orphans, defined as those aged under 18  who have lost one or both parents to AIDS. These orphans are vulnerable to poverty, exploitation and themselves becoming infected with HIV. They are often forced to leave the education system and find work, and sometimes to care for younger siblings or head a family.

Chrissy Amini (2004-2010) suffered from HIV/AIDS passed to her from her mother either at birth or through breastfeeding. Chrissy died from complications due to AIDS and poverty in July 2010. She was six years old.More than 90% of newly infected children are babies born to women with HIV, who acquire the virus during pregnancy, labor or delivery, or through their mother's breast milk. Over nine-tenths of such transmissions occur in sub-Saharan Africa. Drugs are available to minimize the dangers of mother-to-child HIV transmission, but these are still often not reaching the places where they are most needed.

Our Home-based Healthcare staff care for the sick and dying in their homes. They share the good news of Jesus, pray for the sick, give medicine, bath the patient, wash clothes and help with household chores.In sub-Saharan Africa, AIDS killed approximately 1.4 million people in 2008. Average survival in the absence of treatment is around 10 years after infection. ARV drugs can dramatically extend survival, allowing many years of healthy life, but these remain unavailable to most Africans.

Unlike women in most other regions in the world, African women are considerably more likely - at least 1.4 times - to be infected with HIV than men. There are a number of reasons why female prevalence is higher than male in this region, including the greater efficiency of male-to-female HIV transmission through sex and the younger age at initial infection for women.”[1]

It is a complex problem, but Circle of Hope is beginning to address the relationship between poverty and AIDS head on.

Circle of Hope International hosts “blanket parties” to raise awareness about the global AIDS crisis, and to make blankets for our orphans, many of whom have lost parents to AIDS.  We are also raising funds to launch our Hands of Grace Center, a project designed to attack poverty at its root. We encourage you to follow the links above to join our response to the AIDS crisis.

[1] http://www.avert.org/worlstatinfo.htm