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Registered Charity Number: 1025616




MACS in action

HIV/AIDS

The HIV/AIDS pandemic which has swept across Southern Africa is perhaps the continent's greatest ever tragedy. Malawi is one of the worst affected countries.

Half a million Malawians have died from AIDS since the epidemic begun in the early 1980s.

As with general health, it is the women and children who suffer most as a result of HIV/AIDS. Women aged 15 to 24 are four to six times more likely to be HIV-infected than their male counterparts and the further increase in AIDS cases and deaths expected over the next 10 years will result in yet more orphans, which already number over 400,000.

MACS support has focused on educational initiatives and programmes which seek to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS, create a 'culture of openness' and thereby challenge and hopefully change sexual behaviour.

  

Smiling faces always greet you in Malawi

 

 

 

 

MACS supports awareness raising on HIV/AIDS and support for those affected through:

  • Helping to fund workshops for teachers, clergy, young people, counsellors and those affected or whose families are affected by HIV/AIDS.
  • Contributing towards the costs of publishing Treasuring the Gift a highly acclaimed training/education pack on sexual relationships and behaviour written jointly by young Christians and Muslims. The pack has the full support and endorsement of Malawi's Vice President.
  • Providing funding for portable video machines, monitors and appropriate videos which tour villages providing HIV/AIDS education/awareness raising.
  • Funding of resource packs containing posters and books in Chichewa for 100 parishes across the four dioceses to help parishes in education/awareness raising.
  • Funding the purchase of a four-wheel drive vehicle to enable the HIV/AIDS co-ordinator for the Dioceses of Upper Shire and Southern Malawi to travel to remote parishes and be able to transport small training teams, materials and resources.
  • Helping community-based orphan support programmes started by parishes.