The Union Office in Myanmar hosted three ‘Child Funfairs’ for 400 children living with HIV and receiving antiretroviral therapy through the Integrated HIV Care Programme.
The Union Office in Myanmar in collaboration with the National AIDS Programme hosted three ‘Child Funfairs’ for 400 children living with HIV and receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) through the Integrated HIV Care (IHC) Programme. This event, first held in 2010 and now hosted annually, is a highlight in the children’s calendar and provides support to all those enrolled.
The event has always been hosted in Mandalay but this year it was expanded to two additional townships – Pakokku and Taunggyi. The festivities featured puppet shows, dances, games and toys.
The IHC Programme is an innovative scheme in which The Union and partners assist in the integration of HIV services into existing public health services. The celebration is held every year in April around the Myanmar New Year.
The celebration was made possible through several donations from Union staff, IHC Programme partners, physicians and other supporters.
The IHC Programme began in 2005 and currently provides over 30,000 patients with ART, with an average of 394 new patients enrolled per month. The IHC Programme also provides essential support to pregnant women with HIV to reduce the transmission from mother to child.
The IHC programme works in close collaboration with the National AIDS Programme, the Department of Public Health and the Ministry of Health, with funding from Total E&P Myanmar and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.