Provide Medical Help for Disabled People with HIV+

Dear Donors and Prospective Supporters,

We sincerely thank everyone who has already contributed to this cause. Your generosity has helped us begin meaningful steps toward reaching some of the most forgotten individuals in our communities. To those considering a donation, we appreciate your interest and welcome your support.

What We Have Done So Far

In recent weeks, we visited Masaka, Ado, and Mararaba an urban slum areas on the outskirts of Abuja and Nasarawa State to meet people living with disabilities who are also HIV-positive. Most of them survive only through begging. There is no form of public or private medical support available to them. Many shared that they have never received any formal medical attention for their condition. Some rely on herbs or traditional treatments and are left to hope for relief or divine intervention.

During our visits, we saw that many of them use crutches or wheelchairs that are broken or difficult to move. Some had no support equipment at all and crawled on the road surfaces, exposing their skin to infections and injuries. Many had visible open wounds on their arms and legs, some of which were already infected and had begun to rot.

We carried out interviews with as many individuals as possible. In most cases, they had no family support. Their parents or relations have abandoned them, sometimes for years. The social rejection they face adds to the daily struggle for food, medicine, and human interaction.

We also met with the head of their association. He agreed to help coordinate their members and give us a date when he can gather them at one central location for easier and regular medical attention. The plan is to begin weekly or monthly group health check-ups and treatments. These sessions will include medical treatment, wound care, testing for infections, and general health monitoring.

Urgent Concerns We Noted

• Wounds: Many have untreated wounds. Without treatment, these injuries can become life-threatening.

• Lack of Family Support: Almost all the individuals we met had been abandoned. They live and sleep on the streets, with no shelter or basic care.

• Contraception Awareness: Among the women, there is no knowledge of contraception. Men in the group also admitted that they do not use condoms. This puts both them and others at continued risk of more HIV infections and unplanned pregnancies.

What Comes Next

We plan to begin free treatment, check-ups, and health monitoring in the coming month. Updates on this will be included in our next reports. From the needs assessment, we observed that aside from being HIV-positive, many also suffer from other health conditions that require urgent care.

Thank you for your kind donations

These individuals have been left behind. They are not hidden away, they are in plain sight, living at the edges of our communities. With your help, we can bring them closer to basic health and human dignity.

Thank you once again for your kindness and attention.

Attention!
The attached pictures are not from our recent needs assessment. Most of the individuals in these photos will be among those receiving medical treatment for HIV and other health-related conditions.

The people we met did not give consent for their photos to be used in reports at this stage. They expressed concern that we might not return to provide help, as has happened to them in the past with both NGOs and government agencies who collected data but never came back. However, they assured us that once we return to provide medical care in groups, they will permit us to take and use their photos.

With love,
Joy Ojochogwu Etubi
Project Leader