ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN - TAKE ACTION
MEET THE COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS & PATIENTS
When: From January through May of 2011
What: Join the Turi Kumwe Campaign to raise $100,000 for the Partners In Health community health worker program in Rwanda.
Why: $100,000 provides salaries for 700 community health workers who serve 35,000 households with vital health information, health care and support. Everything that you raise goes to Partners In Health's new Community Health Worker program in the Burera district of Northern Rwanda. Through Turi Kumwe (meaning "we are together" in Kinyarwanda), FACE AIDS members stand in solidarity with Community Health Workers in Rwanda to strengthen and expand the access to health care that every individual deserves.
How: Joining the Turi Kumwe Campaign is easy:
1. Join the campaign by filling out this form:
2. Order pincards to support your fundraising efforts.
3. Find ideas in the Take Action Toolkit and START FUNDRAISING.
4. Fill out the Fundraising Submission Form and send in your donation by May 31st.
5. Get matched:
- The first 20 chapters to raise and send in $1,000 will get their $1,000 matched by FACE AIDS National, doubling their contribution to Turi Kumwe campaign.
- The five chapters that raise and send in the most money by May 31st will receive two copies of Partner to the Poor: A Paul Farmer Reader with a personal note from Dr. Paul Farmer, co-founder of Partners In Health.
Learn More:
- Partners In Health Program [PDF]
- Partners In Health Website
Bernadette's Story: A Community Health Worker in Action
Bernadette is a Community Health Worker in the mountainous and vast distrtict of Burera, Rwanda. She has provided care and support to many members of her community, but one story stands out. While performing house calls in her village, Bernadette came across a 12 year old girl who seemed to be severely undernourished; she was skin and bones except for her protruding stomach-a sign of malnutrition. Her parents had both passed away, and she was living with another family from her community. Immediately, Bernadette took her to the hospital to receive treatment for malnutrition, but following weeks of treatment, she was not gaining weight. Nothing seemed to work. As Bernadette followed her case, she became more concerned and wondered whether the girl was not only malnourished, but possibly living with HIV. She took her back to the hospital for an HIV test. It came back positive. Bernadette was there to speak with the young girl and her doctors as they set up a plan to get her the live-saving antiretroviral medication that she needed. Bernadette was also there to sit down with the girl and her care-takers to talk to them about living with HIV. She was there when, almost immediately, the girl's heath started to improve, and within months, she had gained over 25 pounds and her symptoms had disappeared. From day one, Bernadette was there to provide care and support to her client, and she is still there as they are together: "Turi Kumwe."
About Burera
Burera is a vast region of hills and thick forest that is home to over 300,000 people who all receive access to top quality health care at the same Partners In Health hospital. However, for many people, actually getting to the hospital is a significant challenge. They may have to walk for hours or take days off of work to get there. In order to overcome these obstacles and provide the entire community with the health care that they deserve, Partners In Health and the Rwandan Ministry of Health train Community Health Workers, like Bernadette, to provide education and treatment in people's homes. This year, FACE AIDS is standing in solidarity with Bernadette and other Community Health Workers to support their immensely important work.