MASYAP’s 31 women’s support groups are the heart of our work. Each group meets regularly and brings together women who are living with HIV, women affected by it through their families, and women who are not affected but want to help. Our staff visit every group on a routine basis to support them on issues around HIV/AIDS.
- 31women’s groups
- Weeklymeetings and visits
- 4 districtsBlantyre, Thyolo, Chiradzulu and Zomba
What the groups learn
Our outreach visits cover a range of topics, including:
- HIV basics: how HIV is transmitted, how to prevent it and how to look after yourself when living with HIV. These sessions are repeated regularly to keep knowledge up to date.
- Home-based care: how members can care for themselves and for relatives with HIV at home, including how to take or give antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) correctly. Members also receive basic care kits, such as gloves.
- Preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT): the risks of passing HIV to a baby during pregnancy and birth, and how to reduce them. PMTCT is crucial to stopping the spread of HIV and protecting children.
- Nutrition: how to eat a healthy, balanced diet on a small budget, which keeps families healthy and helps ARVs work.
- Stigma and discrimination: tackling the misinformation and taboo that still surround HIV and the people living with it.
Nutritional support
When funds allow, MASYAP gives food parcels to the most vulnerable members. Good nutrition supports the immune system and helps antiretroviral treatment work. We also run an orphan support programme, providing basic food and paying school fees for orphans whom their communities consider highly vulnerable. See our nutrition and relief work.
Condolence packages
Where possible, MASYAP gives a condolence package of MK15,000 (around $20) to the family of a member who has passed away.
