DREAM intensifies Prevention of Mother To Child HIV awareness campaign

DREAM Community of Saint Egidio has intensified awareness campaign on HIV Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT) in Thyolo where local leaders discourage home deliveries and other unsafe delivery practices.

DREAM Project Field Officer in Thyolo, Evison Mwenda said the campaign aims at supporting government- initiated campaign on PMTCT.

Mwenda was speaking in Magombo Village on Friday during the PMTCT awareness campaign amid increasing cases of HIV transmission from mother to child.

“We are here to raise awareness on protection of the child from HIV transmission, as cases of mother to child HIV transmission are escalating,” Mwenda said.

He said that was why DREAMS Community of Saint Egidio came in to compliment government efforts in reducing the transmission.

The organisation hopes to implement PMTCT activities so that in ten years, issues of mother to child HIV transmission should be history in Nchiramwera area in the district.

“We’re here to sensitise people on PMTCT so that come 2030 we eliminate or reduce HIV transmission from mother to child,” said Mwenda.

Apart from focusing on PMTCT, Mwenda said his organisation is also concerned with mothers delivering away from health facilities.

“It’s our expectation that Nchiramwera in Thyolo and the whole Malawi will be free of HIV and AIDS one day,” he assured.

He, therefore, appealed to expectant mothers to ensure they deliver at health facilities with qualified midwives, saying delivering at home is against goals and objectives of PMTCT.

A health worker at Village Head Magombo, Charles Sandram, commended DREAM for the awareness campaign, saying the activity would complement their day-to-day work which includes counseling expectant mothers to adhere to principles of PMTCT.

Mike Meleka, a representative of Senior Chief Nchiramwera also commended DREAM for the project, saying the awareness was ideal to women in the area. He said some of them were ignorant of PMTCT.

Meleka, however, warned mothers who deliver at home, saying unsafe delivery practices are risk factors that contribute to mother to child HIV transmission.

He, therefore, warned that expectant women who fail to deliver at health facilities would be fined for defying safe delivery by by-laws set by local leaders.

DREAM started PMTCT awareness campaigns in Thyolo in 2016 with financial support from Action Aid