Worldwide Orphans Foundation Begins Treating Children in Ethiopia With HIV/AIDS

NEW YORK, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Worldwide Orphans Foundation (WWO) has received its final certification from the Ethiopian government and has begun to treat orphans with HIV/AIDS. The Ministry of Health designated Barlow House/WWO as a Center for Pediatric HIV/AIDS treatment in Addis Ababa.

According to Dr. Jane Aronson, WWO's founder and executive medical director, the news of the approval was "monumental." Dr. Aronson said the first children to be treated already show signs of improvement.

"We are thrilled by this wonderful news," said Dr. Aronson. "We have waited a long time for this opportunity -- which marks the dawn of a new era for Ethiopian children who are HIV positive."

Barlow House/WWO will treat many more orphans and children in the community than just the children in AHOPE orphanage in Addis Ababa. "We will treat all comers," said Dr. Aronson. "The lives of orphans and children in Ethiopia are now forever changed."

WWO is planning to expand its programs and build larger facilities, as soon as possible, in order to accommodate all the children. WWO will provide pediatric HIV/AIDS services at Barlow House/WWO including primary care and anti-retroviral medications for children in need. New, WWO family-centered programs will be developed to substantially improve the plight of families affected by HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia.

WWO has been involved in Ethiopia for nearly two years. In 2004, WWO received NGO status in Ethiopia. Dr. Sophia Mengistu, pediatrician and WWO program director in Addis Ababa, has been providing medical care for the orphans with HIV/AIDS at AHOPE orphanage.

In April 2005, the Ethiopian Pediatric Society collaborated with WWO to organize Ethiopia's first training conference on Pediatric HIV/AIDS, including education on anti-retroviral treatment for the children with HIV/AIDS. Forty pediatricians from throughout Ethiopia participated in the weeklong training session, which was lead by pediatric infectious diseases specialists/nurse practitioners from Columbia University in New York City. The training included lectures on how the virus, HIV, causes destruction of the immune system and how to treat children with HVI/AIDS with anti-retroviral (ARV) medication.

Certification from the Ethiopian government was granted in late August and treatment of orphans with HIV/AIDS began Sept. 13.

Children on ARV medications can live a long and productive life. Without this medication, children become developmentally delayed, chronically ill, and their life span is quite brief and marked with great suffering. The doctors examined the children at the AHOPE orphanage and created a database for future medical care.

WWO hopes to raise several million dollars in order to build a new pediatric center of excellence to provide ARVs, education for children with HIV, and medical training for pediatricians in Ethiopia. This program replicates a similar program it established in Vietnam at Tam Binh in Ho Chi Minh City. The program in Vietnam receives support from USAID/PEPFAR and Bristol Myers Squibb. WWO's efforts in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia were profiled in People Magazine, "Helping Ethiopia's Lost Children," May 2, 2005.

WWO's First Annual Benefit Gala was held October 24, 2005 and raised $780,000. The event is in People Magazine, "Growing Family?" November 7, 2005.

The mission of Worldwide Orphans Foundation is to identify the immediate and long-term medical, developmental, social and emotional needs of children living in orphanages and to provide direct services to improve their quality of life. Founded in 1997 by renowned adoption medicine specialist, Dr. Jane Aronson, WWO has humanitarian programs in Ethiopia, Vietnam, Bulgaria, Serbia/Montenegro, Azerbaijan, and China. For more information, please visit http://www.wwo.org/.

Source: Worldwide Orphans Foundation

 

Web site: http://www.wwo.org/

 

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