HIV family receives help

While we were visiting the families in the community one day, we met a family where the husband has passed away in year 2000 due to HIV. He was survived by his 31-year-old wife, S and 14-year-old son, A who live together in a rented house in Deum Kvet Village. Both of them are HIV positive.

S is working as a tailor and A is attending grade 6 in Ponheakrek Primary School. S told us that she and her son were badly discriminated by their neighbours especially when her son played with the neighbours’ kids.

In tears, S shared that her son’s teacher had previously wanted 1,000 riels per day from her for school fees despite being aware of the families’ medical and financial situation.

As the teacher kept pestering them for the payment, S has no choice but to keep her son away from school until she had enough money to pay for the school fees.

On 1 February 2010, she walked into our Blum House and asked for help. After an internal discussion, Riverkids decided to provide A with some stationery and books, support his school fees and send him back to Ponhea Krek Primary School to continue education.

After the clinic that used to provide anti-HIV medication to them moved farther away from their house, both the mother and son started to collect medicine from the Social Clinic, Public Health Institute once a month. They take medicine twice a day, in the morning and evening.

We are currently monitoring their progress and are doing our best to keep them safe.

Contributed by Social Worker, Phat Sam Ann.

The photograph used for this post is not the family in the story.