Africa-Press – Angola. The First Lady of the Republic, Ana Dias Lourenço, evaluated, on Friday (20), in Luena, Moxico province, the impact of the “Born free to shine” Program, whose main objective is to reduce the transmission of HIV/AIDS. AIDS from mother to child.
During her approximately six-hour stay at Luena, Ana Dias Lourenço visited the Queen Nhakatolo Chissengo Third Age Home, located in the Sinai Velho neighborhood, where she verified the living conditions of 66 elderly people.
In fulfillment of her work schedule, the First Lady officially handed over a residence to the mother of triplets, who were sponsored by the Presidential Couple, during her working visit, in 2019, to the province of Moxico.
João, Ana and Cândida, now three years old, born to an HIV-positive mother, are healthy and free from HIV/AIDS, thanks to the “Born free to shine” Program.
“When we were here, on December 1, 2018, to launch the campaign “Born free to shine”, we committed that we would do it in three years, with the commitment to do everything so that in Angola there would be no Pediatric AIDS,” said the First Lady.
Ana Dias Lourenço added that after a year and a half she returned to Luena and on a visit to the maternity ward she found an HIV-positive young woman who had given birth to triplets. “We take care of the children and the mother and, with the support of people of good will and Governor Muandumba, in particular, we try to solve the problems they have been facing”.
After some time, according to the First Lady, the mother stayed on the street with the children and, due to their severe malnutrition, the hospital took them in and, after treatment, they were housed at the Queen Nhakatolo Chissengo 3rd Age Home.
“We thought that the Home for the 3rd Age was not the ideal place and we decided to build a house, with the support of the governor, in providing the land, and the partners, who helped to finance the work”, said the First Lady, adding that “when I decided to embrace the campaign, I did not believe that it would be possible to show the world children treated within the framework of the “Born free to shine” Campaign, but today, the result is there”.
Ana Dias Lourenço stated that the campaign was launched for three years (from 2019 to 2021), but Covid-19 created some inconvenience and it was not possible to achieve all the goals.
He assured that the Ministry of Health and the National Institute for the Fight Against AIDS will continue to implement operational programs to cut vertical transmission, which allows HIV-positive people to give birth to babies without HIV/AIDS, in order to achieve the recommended goals.
“We set the goal of a 14 percent cut rate for vertical transmission. We were at 26 percent. I thought it wasn’t possible, because I thought from 26 to 14 was impossible, but the technicians from the National Institute for the Fight against AIDS, who They supported me, they said it is possible. We didn’t reach 14, but we reached 17 percent”, underlined the First Lady, who was satisfied with the goal achieved and stated that, with more work, dedication and support from everyone, from here for more than two or three years it has been possible to reach the goal of 14 percent
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