Friends Foundation Inc

This comes after alarming statistics were reported by the National AIDS Council Secretariat (NACS) noting 3,000 newly infected cases in 2017, one quarter of these being young people and children, and a total of 1,500 AIDS-related deaths.

FFI, through its program, identified the main causes of death among these children as; defaulting from treatment and loss to follow up treatment.

FFI highlighted this in its second newsletter released this week, stressing for parent(s) and guardian(s) to take responsibility for their child.

Roderick Sitapai of Friends Foundation Inc revealed that statistics provided by the National AIDS Council early this month showed that by the end of 2017, there were about 3,000 new cases of HIV infections.

25 percent of this are children and teens under the age of 20.

But these numbers are not the challenge for FFI, who assist children living with HIV and/or are exposed to HIV.

The bigger challenge is trying to get the child to accept why they are taking the medication, especially as they grow older.

FFI is a Port Moresby based charity organisation that assists children who are HIV or exposed to HIV.

Executive officer Roderick Sitapai says this can be a very expensive exercise.

A big portion of the yearly budget goes towards buying Lactogen, which costs K500 per carton.

FFI buys two cartons monthly to assist children exposed to HIV, under the age of 1, who have been weaned from breast milk.

“This is to minimise the risk of HIV being transmitted to the child,” he said.

No! HIV is either contracted from the mother or from being a survivor of sexual abuse.

Nevertheless, they have to survive. And in order to live longer and healthier lives, they have to be on medication – even if home is kilometres away from the health facility.

That’s where Friends Foundation Inc. steps in.

It was established in 1998, initially to care for people living with HIV. 

He is the executive officer of Friends Foundation Inc., an organisation that provides assistance to children exposed to and/or those living with HIV.

The foundation has been working closely with the Port Moresby General Hospital’s Paediatric Ward and the Family Support Centre to identify this group of population.

In the last week alone, he says there were 12 new HIV cases reported.

Sadly, most (children) contract the virus from the parent (mother).

But Sitapai says there are those who have contracted HIV through child abuse and sexual abuse.

The charity organisation today had a small Christmas party, gifting the kids with early Christmas presents.

These are children exposed to HIV and or living with HIV.

The foundation provides support for this group of population.

This event was made possible through a donation by the Gordon’s International School.

Earlier this month, the school hosted a Christmas carol event, a fundraiser which raised about K20,000.

All these proceeds were given to the foundation.