Health Care   (Cont.)
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HIV/AIDS Prevention, Treatment, Education
Kapasseni has optimism and hope, with the school, health centre, jobs for teachers, nurses, and builders, a market place, and a corn grinding mill.  But this success has created more traffic to and from Kapasseni and made the people more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.  Just 70 kilometres away, in nearby truckstop towns of Sena and Caia the rate of infection is estimated to be around 23%.  We have made HIV/AIDS awareness a top priority and have engaged Manuel Miandica, a dynamic young AIDS educator, to lead monthly workshops in Kapasseni.  Through drama, Q & A sessions, presentations and debates, in the school, hospital, and market place, Manuel gets messages to the community about:

• Prevention, awareness, and information about alternatives to sexual practices and cultural beliefs that contribute to the risk of AIDS.
• Empowerment of the women, informing them about their rights and helping them to be self-sufficient.
• Education about the dangers of unprotected sex, early marriages, and dishonesty in marriages, and helping Kapasseni to be a role model for other villages.

Manuel’s workshops, held every three months, have been very well attended and appreciated by the community.

Victoria's Gettin' Higher Choir faced with the progressive loss of her own eyesight, asked questions about eye health in Kapasseni. When she found out that common problems include cataracts, glaucoma, post-measles blindness, and trachoma, Sabine initiated fundraising for an eye care program.  In 2006 and 2007, with funding mostly from choir members, the Kapasseni Project engaged ophthalmic technician Ernesto Pechisso, who has made several visits to provide education and treatment to hundreds of people in the Kapasseni area.

Ernesto Pechisso, one of only three ophthalmology technicians in Mozambique, examining eyes in Kapasseni

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