Updates on medical treatment for children in Bunia

St. Kizito Children & Staff at the Front Gate, Photo by Jiro Ose

Many of you have reached out to ask us about the impact on the children of St. Kizito by the current halt of the work done by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) program. As has been discussed a great deal in recent days, President George Bush’s groundbreaking PEPFAR program has saved millions of lives around the world, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. It ensures that life-saving antiretroviral therapies (ART) are available to HIV+ patients of all ages and works effectively to break the cycle of mother/child transmission of the virus during childbirth and nursing.

While the ultimate status of USAID is unknown, the waiver granted to life-saving activities such as PEPFAR is currently not being implemented and it’s unclear what will happen. CKI board members and volunteers are closely monitoring the availability of ART in Bunia to see if these medications will become unavailable. Children cannot miss a daily dose without risking a spike in viral load and eventually the development of AIDS, for which we still have no cure.

We will keep our community informed as the situation develops. We also invite you to join us on March 15 for a conversation with journalist and Congo expert Dino Mahtani to discuss the current political situation:
How Did We Get Here? A Brief Political History of Conflict in the DRC.

The Congo Kids Initiative Team