Madeleine is 40 years old and is widowed as a result of HIV/AIDS. She has five children; two of whom are HIV-positive. Paul, a 64-year-old widower, lives with his small eight-year-old daughter Claire. Both are HIV-positive. Through the family strengthening programme, SOS Children's Villages helps these families rebuild their capacities so that they can cope with the disease and have an acceptable quality of life.

Madeleine's Difficult Journey

Madeleine discovered she was HIV-positive in 2002, after her husband's death. One year later she learned that two of her children were also HIV-positive. As she had no means of support, she was unable to take care of herself or her children. "I was alone to assume our medical expenses, feed the children, buy their school supplies and pay for their school fees. I felt like I was falling into a gulf because there was nobody to assist me in this situation. I wondered what was going to happen to us. It was a really difficult time for me," she recalled.

It was difficult because Madeleine was unable to work at that time due to her illness. She was living from day to day with the conviction that nothing would change in her life. "I lost hope in everything, knowing that there is no more sense in my life," she remembered. "I had no money and I had nobody to help me. I knew that I could never take care of my family under those circumstances."

Support from SOS family strengthening programme came at a crucial time for Madeleine. "Today, my family's life has changed so much," she affirmed. "Having the support of SOS Children's Villages brought so many changes in our lives at home. We are now able to eat well every day. The food we receive monthly is very important because without it we wouldn't be healthy and I wouldn't have the necessary strength to work. Another very important thing is that the children are able to go to school again. Before, they were regularly expelled from their school for the lack of school supplies and school fees. Today, I am relieved because there are no more concerns on that side. Their progress is good and so are their results! We have easy and free access to HIV treatments. We are less and less ill - we are less sad now."

Madeleine takes part in an income-generating project (selling of clothes), which allows her to earn some money to cover the small daily necessities of the family. "I have a lot of hope…my family's condition is no longer a major concern for me as I have a good and solid support. I thank SOS Children's Villages for thinking about people like us, and I hope that they will always be present to restore our hope," she said with a smile.

"All my hope is vested in Claire"

Paul was diagnosed HIV-positive at age sixty-four. He lives with his eight-year-old daughter Claire, who is also HIV-positive. Paul's wife and other child died two years ago after contracting HIV/AIDS. Claire is his only remaining child. Paul and Claire had been living without income and practically out in the open-air. "Life was very difficult. We had no food, no medicine, not even a house. This house practically collapsed, but we had to remain here because we did not have anywhere else to go," he said while pointing to the roof.

Paul and Claire have received assistance from the SOS family strengthening programme since 2005. The roofs and walls of their once-dilapidated house have been reconstructed, and each month, they receive 10 kilograms of beans, 10kg of maize flour, quantities of sorghum, oil, fish, salt, sugar and boxes of milk. Most importantly, the SOS family strengthening programme in Rwanda provides them with life-saving antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and medicines. "The food that we receive is a great help for us because we can finally eat every day. Food is also very important because it helps us cope with the medicines, which often have side effects," Paul said. Twice a month co-workers from the programme visit the family for follow-up counselling to help Paul and Claire administer their medications. Psychological counselling also helps them understand, cope with, and accept their HIV-positive status.

Now Claire is able to go to school. She never had this chance before because nobody was actively engaged in her schooling. "Claire was born HIV-positive; her mother died just after giving birth. I have always been living alone with her," Paul recounted. "We have spent very difficult moments as I am poor, old and ill. I never thought that she would ever go to school because I wasn't able to pay for her supplies or fees. I thank God for the great opportunity which enables her to go to school like other children her age."

Paul doesn't have enough strength or stamina to generate income consistently. He depends on the family strengthening programme and the generous donors and sponsors around the world. "I am still alive today thanks to SOS Children's Villages, to whom I sincerely say 'thank you'. You have reconstructed my house, you have fed my daughter and me, and you have given all that is necessary for a man to live a decent life." Paul looks to the future with optimism. "Now, all my hope is vested in Claire," he said. "I know that she can survive because she has people who take care of her. She eats well, she goes to school and she has easy access to medical care. These are all the necessary things that she had missed since the day she was born. She will be OK."

For privacy reasons, we have changed the names of the persons involved in this text