In aid of AIDS

Ishara Jayawardane

Unlike other diseases there is a lot of discrimination and stigma attached to HIV or AIDS. Consequently most people infected with this life threatening disease are reluctant to come forward. Even though for the next 50 years we will never be able to completely eliminate discrimination, we can try to make sure that these people are accepted in society.

The AIDS Foundation of Lanka (AFL) and the Educate A Child Trust (EACT) have organized a fund raising event, a charity concert called Symphony for a Child. It is a musical event that will raise funds for children who really need it. “We are very much connected with HIV positive children and children affected by HIV,” said AIDS Foundation of Lanka Board Member Visaka Tillakaratne.

Symphony for a Child Founder Sirima Jayasekare has been a resident of UK for 13 years. And for 13 consecutive years she has been organizing concerts, raising funds and sending it back home for the benefit of very worthy causes related to children. Thirteen years ago, at the Maharagama Children Unit Cancer Ward she had an emotional encounter with a little boy who she carried in her arms, a boy who had just one week to live. This made her want to do something for children.

Educate A Child

Educate A Child (EACT) has joined hands with AFL in this endeavour. EACT is an organization in Kalutara, providing education for 850 children. “We have been doing so for the last 25 years,” said Educate A Child Founder and Chairperson Dr Pramilla Senanayake. It all began when she, her husband and son went on holiday to Kalutara. While staying at the hotel they met two little children who said that they could not go to school.

“We asked why and they said that they don’t have money. We then realised they needed books, shoes, pens, pencils and uniforms that cost about Rs 3000 a year.” Their parents were fishermen and could not afford that. “So we decided to help these children.” Next year they had 15 such children, the following year 29 and today they provide 850 children to go to school. In addition to that they are providing the children with English and computer education, after school. They believe that without English and computer education one cannot move forwards in society in terms of further education and employment. EACT also picks out special children who are doing well and give them that extra boost in terms of funding and special tuition. 

The organization has made immense progress in the past 25 years. “We are proud to say today we have a child in medical school. We have another child doing a bachelors degree in nursing, many children doing CIMA, children who are doing Chartered Secretariat courses and Chartered Accountant courses,” said Dr Senanayake.

Unfortunately the Tsunami dealt a severe blow to the project. These children live along the coast in Kalutara and they lost 98 huts. Today, in a land the EACT have purchased, they have built 48 wonderful homes and a new community centre. They have renovated 50 homes as well. There is now a thriving community where empowerment, education and enterprise are the three parts of this whole project. “We have joined hands with the AIDS Foundation because we believe that children are a crucial part of our society and the AIDS Foundation efforts encompass all aspects of HIV and AIDS. In particular we want to support children who are affected by HIV or those whose parents are affected by HIV,” added Dr Senanayake.

AIDS Foundation Lanka

The AIDS Foundation itself is two years old. The birth of the AIDS Foundation was soon after the Eighth International Conference on AIDS for the Asia Pacific in 2008 (ICAAP) which Sri Lanka hosted and which turned out to be the biggest health related conference in the history of Sri Lanka. 

“We had about 2500 people coming to Colombo for that conference. Currently our funding is mainly from the money we collected from ICAAP, but recently we received some funds from the Worlds Health Organization. We have also got some funding for projects by UN Aids and from the ILO,” said AIDS Foundation of Lanka Chairman Dr Palitha Abeykoon. AIDS Foundation of Lanka also works with NGOs starting from the Family Planning Association, Community Development Services, Companions On A Journey and Lanka + - which is made up of HIV positive people, and a number of other organizations including Zonta.

“We have managed to open bank accounts for HIV possitive families. Almost 200 bank accounts ranging from Rs. 50,000 to nine lakhs,” said Abeykoon.The interest from that goes to these families every three months. “Then we supply infant formula milk to all the children that we have been able to contact who are HIV positive. They also support the mothers in various ways to look after their families.” 

Sirima Jayasekare added a crucial dimension to the foundation. She donated a lot of proceedings from the excellent social and charity work she has been doing in England. Last year alone she donated 4000 Sterling Pounds to the AIDS Foundation of Sri Lanka.

“As long as God gives me the strength I will do these concerts with the hope that children in Sri Lanka will benefit. I also pledge that I will definitely put my heart and soul to working with the AIDS Foundation in Sri Lanka,” said Jayasekare. 

Abeykoon emphasized it would be a wrong message to give people that since the medicines are now available, HIV can be controlled. There is no cure for HIV, no vaccine, but if you take the drugs regularly you can keep the infection somewhat under control. 

Sri Lanka is a low prevalence country. Sri Lanka has all the factors which can lead to an HIV epidemic. There are about 45 children who are identified as HIV positive, transmitted from the mother.

“We estimate that there are about 3500 people in Sri Lanka affected by HIV although only about 1200 are identified cases. If you take 3500 as a reasonable estimate, then we are talking about at least another 7000 children who are in families which are HIV positive,” explained Abeykoon.