John is alive and growing up!!!

John came in Amecet for the first time in 2004. He was 2 years old and very weak and malnourished. His mother had died of AIDS and they had suffered a lot becuase of the rebels form Kony. John was tested and also HIV+, he also suffered of TB.On the picture at the right he weighs just over 6 kg and he is two years old. But he picked up and after 6 months in Amecet, we brought him back to his uncle in the village. All those years we have been visiting him, we helped the family with seeds and cassava cuttings, they received a goat and a cow. But then his aunti got sick and died. We visited him and we felt that we should take John to Amecet for a little while, test his CD4 and give him some good food. His uncle was grateful, because he was also sick and he died while John was with us. We went with John to the burial.

 



John was doing very well in Amecet, his CD4 was not so bad, so he was not started yet on ARVs. But the situation in the village was not good. There was disunity in the clan. We felt that it would not be good to bring John back in this confusion, so we talked with the clan and decided that John would stay a bit longer in Amecet. He is going to school and is a happy young man.

Amecet has two houses, one is for the little and sick children, and the second one is for the older HIV+ children who are going to school. These children are all fysically stable, but for one or the other reason they can't go back to their relatives.

John moved to our second home "Amecet n'amun (Shelter of Hope)". The home is led by Ton and Arja van Koorten Niekerk (Dutch couple). John is happy in his new home and became good friends with Joshua. On this picture John is on the right and left is Joshua. Just coming back from school!

John is one of the children who would probably not be alive today without the help of Amecet. We are so grateful to be able to serve those little ones and see the fruits of our work some years later!