HomeDREAMChild health and care

One of the main objectives of the DREAM programme is to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS by offering treatment to HIV+ pregnant women and to the mother and child together. The data from the programme show that this goal can be achieved and in fact 99.9% of the children born from HIV+ mothers are free of HIV.

Early neonatal diagnosis makes it possible to find out whether the new born babies are positive or negative and treat the ones who are infected. The many healthy children who are born to HIV+ mothers received treatment for the first two years of their lives in order to protect them. In fact DREAM offers every child a series of medical examinations with staff who are trained in looking after HIV+ children.

Children in Africa have the least access to treatment out of the whole population. Malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and lack of hygiene are all also significant causes of infant mortality. The DREAM programme has always considered paediatric healthcare to be extremely important, it is an investment in the future of Africa. Despite the pharmacological and social interventions that are carried out, the dangerous vicious circle of malnutrition and infection that occurs, represents a constant threat. Food shortages in malnourished children are an important contributing cause of infant mortality. The nutritional education that the mothers receive in the centres solves some of these problems, they are also provided with nutritional support and children with severe deficiencies are given specifically fortified foods. The fight against child malnutrition is also carried out in nutrition centres that are set up in areas that are affected particularly badly by this problem. These nutrition centres have been designed as a place where children can have one full meal every day, but they are provide day care with educational and fun activities and they support the families.

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La nutrizione

Il programma DREAM della Comunità di Sant’Egidio sin dalla sua origine dedica un’attenzione particolare a prevenire e trattare la malnutrizione nelle persone. La nutrizione è, dunque, un aspetto determinante della salute dei pazienti sia per migliorare e proteggere che per rallentare la progressione delle malattie.
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When the DREAM programme was founded, it was decided it would set up laboratories that would make a service of excellence available to fight AIDS in Africa, like in the Western countries.

It was the year 2000 and DREAM had just started...
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