Mother
and Infant Care Program: Project Mongu
The primary focus of
the Mother and Infant Care Program: Project Mongu is HIV
positive women and their infants in the city of
Mongu
, the capital of
Western
Province
in the African nation of
Zambia
. Currently, twenty percent of the population of Mongu
is infected with HIV/AIDS. HIV positive pregnant women
transmit HIV to their unborn children, through
pregnancy, during childbirth or breastfeeding, at a rate
of 20%. With
a population of 44,000 in Mongu, approximately 100
children per month are infected with HIV/AIDS.
In Mongu, like in
other areas of the world, breastfeeding has been the
only model for infant nutrition, therefore, the
introduction of formula feeding via bottle or cup is
counter-cultural. Additionally, due to the fact that
HIV/AIDS is sexually transmitted, a stigma is attached
to those living with HIV/AIDS, in that they are to blame
for their infection. Thus women, subjected to even more
scrutiny and prejudice, can also be blamed for infecting
their children.
The majority of
non-sexually transmitted HIV infections occur through
mother to child transmission. “An estimated 30,000
infants in
Zambia
are infected each year either during pregnancy, at the
time of birth or while breastfeeding” (www.avert.org/aids).
Inequality
for these women generates vulnerability for them and
their roles as a wife and mother, creating difficult
boundaries to overcome. Issues such as traditional
cultural beliefs, sex workers and abuse of children
prevent women and children from protecting themselves
from acquiring, or preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS.
The projected life expectancy of an adult in
Zambia
has been reduced from 60 years of age, (before HIV/AIDS)
to 37 years of age.
 
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