Yahneake Sterling, Staff Reporter
"LET THE little children come unto Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the Kingdom of heaven," Matthew 19:14.
The Mustard Seed Communities, which opened its heart to children living with or affected by HIV/AIDS in Jamaica with Dare to Care in 2000 and Matthew 25:40 in 2002, is extending its arm once again to open a third home called Martha's House.
The new home, which is scheduled to open its doors by the end of this month, will be home to 25 children under the age of 12 years. The home will be located in downtown Kingston.
The first home, Dare to Care, was opened in September 2000, with just seven children, but to date, hosts 34. Likewise, Matthew 25:40, which was opened two years later, with just two children, is currently home to 15 children.
According to Donna Reynolds, administrator for Dare to Care and Matthew 25:40, the third home was built owing to the great demand to provide homes for children living with HIV.
She told The Gleaner that the new home was built owing to several requests to care for more children and was made possible with help from the Global Fund as well as other local and overseas organisations.
Since the homes opened their doors, they have been challenged to provide anti-retroviral medication for the children they care for.
MEDICATION
"Medication is still expensive, but we get help from the Global Fund, 85 per cent of our children are on medication because of the Global Fund," Ms. Reynolds said.
"We are now focusing on the development of our children regarding psycho-social issues. We have a counsellor on board, who comes in, but we need more help from psychiatrists," she explained.
While the current programme at the institutions has been going well, Ms. Reynolds stated that there has been a refocus of the activities.
The homes are now looking at remedial activities for the older children and is in the process of seeking placements for them in regular schools.
"Our aim is to get them up to their grade level to mainstream them into high school," the administrator said.
Additionally, she explained that the home was in the process of implementing a mentorship programme that will take on a big brother/big sister relationship.
"We need people to come in and spend more time with the kids. We hope this will sort of help to remove the stigma to some extent," she said.
The stigma she stated, is the most disabling factor in moving the programme forward. "These kids are normal children living with a disease and they need to be treated as normal. HIV is not a death sentence," she said.
If you want to help, contact Dare to Care at 749 - 3979.
