Ayanda* was 2 years and five months when she was admitted on the Philani Programme. At our first visit she was severely underweight. We noticed that she was due to start ARVs the previous year. However, Ayanda’s mother passed away and never disclosed her status to the grandmother.
Ayanda’s mentor mother accompanied her and her grandmother to the clinic. At the clinic a few tests were done and Ayanda was diagnosed with TB. She was immediately initiated on medication for both TB and HIV. They also entered Ayanda onto the Nutrition Therapeutic Programme (NTP) due to her low weight.
We continued to visit Ayanda on a weekly basis to support her grandmother. After a few months of treatment, Ayanda was discharged from the TB treatment and the NTP, however her weight had only improved slightly and was not satisfactory.
We referred Ayanda to the Philani Nutrition Programme for supplementation and inquired whether the Philani Educare was able to admit her into their programme. We also advised the grandmother to apply for a social grant.
Since receiving nutritional products from the Philani Nutrition Programme and being admitted into an educare, Ayanda’s weight has improved dramatically and she is now a happy, playful little girl.
On our previous visit, Ayanda’s grandmother informed us that she had started the grant application process. She expressed that she was extremely thankful for the support that she had received from Philani.
*Names have been changed to protect identities
