The Buddhist Leadership Initiative provided direct consultancy services for more than 2,500 HIV/AIDS infected children and their relatives in Ho Chi Minh City in the first six months of this year.
The programme was launched in 2002 by UNICEF and is carried out by the Vietnam Fatherland Front and the Ho Chi Minh City Buddhism Sangha. It has set up four consulting rooms at Dieu Giac, Ky Quang, Linh Son and Quang Tho pagodas in Ho Chi Minh City, where the children and their carers are advised on basic HIV/AIDS knowledge such as how to prevent the disease, care for patients at home and reduce discrimination.
The programme has also organised a number of short-term training courses for Buddhist clerics and followers and provided regular assistance to 278 children living with HIV.
According to the project’s secretary, Nguyen Ngoc Phong, who is also a member of the standing committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Fatherland Front, the project has received warm response from numerous agencies in the city, especially from Buddhist dignitaries, monks, nuns and followers, helping bring hope for people infected with HIV/AIDS and those who care for them.(VNA)
Source: Nhan Dan
