From the field: Saphine's story
Posted on Oct 13, 2011
Staff from PIH's Rwandan sister organization, Inshuti Mu Buzima, recently shared the following story with our Boston office. It's an inspiring example of how it often requires more than medicine alone to heal patients.
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Saphine, an HIV patient in Rwanda, sells fish in a local market. |
Although HIV positive, Saphine was able to prevent transmitting the disease to her son, thanks to medical services and antiretroviral medicines that she received free of charge from a PIH-supported hospital in rural Rwanda.
However, after the birth of her son, it became clear to staff from Inshuti Mu Buzima, PIH’s Rwandan sister organization, that Saphine had other challenges that were affecting her and her children's health. She lived in terrible housing, had no job, had been abandoned by her husband, and had no means of supporting herself or her family.
Through generous donations from PIH supporters, a new house was built for Saphine and her family.
She was also provided with a microgrant, which she used to start a small business selling produce in the local market. She’s now generating enough income through her new business to help feed and support her family.
