Food Aid is Vital for People with HIV/AIDS

Food Aid is Vital for People with HIV/AIDS

Veronica lives in the village of Ngofi in Mozambique, where families live on what they grow on their farms. She, her husband Marcos, and their four children had a herd of goats; they were wealthier than most of their neighbors since goats are worth 400 pounds of maize each.

Marcos fell ill and, on a visit to the hospital in neighboring Malawi, discovered that he had HIV.  It’s not necessary for everyone with HIV to begin treatment immediately after diagnosis, but Marcos needed to go on antiretroviral therapy right away. He had to make regular trips across Lake Niassa by ferry to get medical checkups and pick up medication. Each time, he had to pay for food and lodging in addition to the ferry fee, because the ferry ran only once a week. Veronica and Marcos had to sell a goat every couple of months to get the money.

Veronica and Marcos quickly depleted their resources, including the goats. The family went from being one of the wealthiest in their village to one of the poorest. After Marcos began treatment, Veronica was also diagnosed as HIV-positive, although she was not in immediate need of treatment. Both needed extra calories to help sustain their immune systems, working at full throttle against HIV.  They also needed sufficient vitamins and minerals—important to the body’s struggle against opportunistic infections—but normally their meals centered on cassava or maize, staple foods that filled them up and provided calories but had little nutritional value.

Their health deteriorated after they exhausted their resources. Production plummeted on the family farm because Marcos was too weak to work. Veronica, though still physically able to work, spent much of her time and energy caring for her husband. Eventually Marcos died from an opportunistic illness and Veronica, much weaker by now, was left with the children and little food.

Just as Veronica was selling the last of the goats, a medical facility opened closer to home, which made it possible for her to begin antiretroviral treatment. Veronica made the trip with fellow villagers who also needed HIV treatment. She received food aid along with her medication. The food she was given—flour, oil, and sugar—enabled her to make an enriched porridge and regain her strength. She added the oil and sugar to the porridge while it was cooking in order to increase its caloric density. The maize flour was fortified with protein and fat by the addition of ground beans and peanuts.

With the combination of HIV medication and food aid, Veronica recovered to the point where she could work on her farm and feed herself and the children. Other families in her village—including those not affected by HIV—also started to mix beans and peanuts into their porridge whenever possible.