To be 76 years old and still looking after baby's.

We have a programme in which we help mothers who are HIV+ to care for their little baby's. If they can not give breastfeeding, we give milk money and when the baby is a bit older we give porridge flour, sugar and soap. All those mothers come every two weeks to Amecet for this extra supplement. If they live far, we give for one month at the time. We ask them to come every now and then with the children, so we see how they are doing. Especially little baby's we want to see every time and we weigh them, to see if they are gaining. In this group are also a number of care takers, when the mother of the child has passed away.

I want to introduce one of those people to you, she came yesterday again, and I am touched by this lady.

This is Margreta Asella, she is 76 years old. She cares for the two sets of twins from her daughter. Her daughter was brought home by her husband, 4 months ago. In Uganda, when you marry, you leave your home and you live with the family of your husband. She was very sick, dying, and the husband dumped her at her mothers place, together with her 4 children (2 sets of twins). The lady died and the grandmother was left with the four children, the youngest twins were only 6 months old.

She came to us for help, so we are providing her, at first with milk money, but now, since the baby's are already 10 months old, with porridge flour, sugar and soap. This time she came also to talk about the children, one of the twins was a bit sickly, she was afraid that the mother might have died from AIDS and maybe the twins were also infected. We talked and I suggested that we would go for an HIV test, by that, we would know for sure. She agreed and we walked together to the clinic, next to Amecet. We got the tests done and the result was: they are both HIV-!!!! So that was a great relieve for the Grandma, to care for 4 children on her age is a lot, but when two of them would be HIV+, it would be even a harder job.

I am impressed by Magreta Asello, her sight is not so good anymore (she travels together with a grandson), 76 years old, an age whereby she would have been cared for by her children, but now looking after 4 children and with love!! I saw how she handled the baby's, she loves them and I am glad I could help her today, by taking some of her anxiety away trough this HIV test. I hope to see her again!