A group of children living in Casa Emanuel

May 2011: Plan’s program area Bafata is one of the regions with the highest rate of HIV prevalence in Guinea-Bissau. Between 2008- 2009 there were 6,200 orphans due to HIV, over 1.100 registered death cases and 16 000 people living with HIV.

“Culturally, in Guinea-Bissau none of these children have value when they live with a physical disability; family members often kill or abandon them. The traditional belief is that these children are not human, they are bad spirits,” said Ms Isabel Johanning, founder of Casa Emanuel, a center supporting children with disability.

Plan’s response

Marginalized children are at the center of Plan’s focus and with partner organizations such as Casa Emanuel, Plan developed the “Prevention and Mitigation of HIV” project which aims to promote activities with orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), providing home care to the infected, as well as increasing the knowledge about HIV in rural communities and schools throughout the country. The project also seeks to decrease the number of lost sight of people living with HIV and promotes behavioral changes that could reduce the risks of infection, particularly among children, adolescents and young adults.

“When my daughter died from the disease, I was left with 4 grandchildren, 3 girls and 1 boy. I suffer from asthma, so the only work I am able to do to feed the children is to sell peanuts or cashewnuts on the street. Plan’s project enabled me to put them in school, provide them with clothing and school materials. Our life has changed and now the children have a chance to become somebody in life,” said Emilha Cá. 

“Plan’s project tries to reach the most vulnerable children, those at risk of stigmatization because of their serologic status or that of their relatives. These affected or infected children are mixed among many other vulnerable children in order not to be singled out and being subject to stigmatization. The project gives an integral help to these children, ensuring their schooling and their well-being in their homes. We carry out home visits to give them and their families psychosocial support,” concluded Marta Palmarola Adrados, coordinator of the “Mitigation and Prevention of HIV/AIDS” project.

The outreach

The initiative funded by the Global Fund supports 2074 orphans and vulnerable children by providing health support, education, support for school supplies and uniforms. So far it has reached 913 children affected, 124 of then living in Casa Emanuel. 

Read more about Plan's work in Guinea-Bissau.