Nutrition and peer support for HIV+ patients

The impacts of COVID-19 includes unprecedented fatalities, shutdowns, and quarantines
around the world. Yet when thinking about the effects of this virus, it is often forgetten how it impacts the retrieval of basic human necessities, such as food and water. 

In Mali, women regularly go to the market to purchase fresh produce for their homes. One impact of the shutdown in Mali is that some markets have been forced to close. This has meant that mant individuals are unable to even retrieve the basic necessities to cook and provide food for their families. This is even greater capitalized by the fact that many Malians have lost their job amidst the worldwide economic collapse, meaning that many in the country do not have the resources to pay for the market or travel to receive food, a deadly combination caused and exacerbated by the pandemic. According to a report by the World Food Programme estimates a 70% increase in food insecurity within West Africa by August. The time to provide basic necessities (food and water) has never been so essential.

At GAIA Vaccine Foundation, we have continued to support basic nutrition throughkeeping our “Nutrition and Peer Support” program at the Hope Clinic, our most widely utilized initiative. Even amidst the shutdown, the clinic was able to enforce social distancing procedures while providing food for Malian families, distributing over 250 meals.Given the existing poor health infrastructure, job loss, increased number of COVID-19 cases, and lack of access to food/water, we anticipate a steep increase in the necessity for the HIV+ members in our community to utilize our “Nutrition and Peer Support Program” at GAIA Vaccine Foundation. However, in order to sustain the Hope Clinic operations and ensure that many in the Malian community do not face starvation, we need your donations!

A small donation of $10 provides a weekly meal for an HIV+ patient-- and $100 is
enough to give an entire meal for 25 people. At this time, it has never been more essential to support the basic nutrition of the Malian people. Each day, as the number of cases rises exponentially and the shutdowns expand, many do not have basic access to retrieve even small meals, concurrent with the loss of jobs that continues to leave many Malians struggling both with basic nutrition and a declining economy. Your donation goes a long way in ensuring the provision of basic necessities towards our community. There has never been a more important time to support our vulnerable population not only from the virus itself, but its catalytic effects in ravaging the economy, access to food, and weakening the already underdeveloped healthcare system in Mali.