[pronut-hiv] The Goan Infant Care Foundation

["Neisha DSouza" <goaninfantcare@hotmail.com>]

Dear Pro-Nut HIV

  My name is Neisha D'Souza, I am a medical student at the University of 
Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.  I am currently in Goa, India for my 
summer break, continuing work on a nutrition project started in Goa on May 
2005 with a friend of mine, Kelly Bellomy.

  Kelly and I raised money from private donors in the USA and formed the 
Goan Infant Care Foundation. The Goan Infant Care Foundation is dedicated to improving the well-being of HIV positive women and children in the state of Goa, India.  By providing knowledge and resources on nutrition and infant care options, training local counselors and facilitating collaborative workshops and women?s programs, we are strengthening support systems that directly contribute to the reduction of mother to child transmission of HIV.

  I have not posted on this site in quite a while.  Kelly and my original 
intentions in Goa were to try to see if the method of pasteurizing breast 
milk would be effective in the homes of lower class HIV positive mothers.  
Once we arrived in Goa last year, we realized that it would not be possible to begin such an undertaking.  It is already very difficult to introduce safe hygeine principles in regards to sterilizing bottles and cups for infant feeding.  The act of pumping the breastmilk would also be a huge problem not to mention instructing a woman to properly measure the amount of water to milk.  We redirected our efforts to provide proper prenatal counseling to pregnant HIV positive women along with provisions of infant formula (should the mother choose it), nutritious rations, hygeine supplies, medicines, and travel expenses (for hospital follow-up) for two years following delivery. This project, The Women's Project, is functioning quite well.  The doctors at the government hospital have noted the impact of proper nutritional counseling and provisions, and are quite supportive.

  We have been working hard to get the most up to date and relevant 
information to counselors working in the government hospitals.  These 
counselors have first access to persons testing positive, and it is thus 
vital that they are well informed.  We are providing them with information 
on the ARV drugs that are being offered to persons living with HIV in Goa.  
We are also working to get them to assess their client's nutritional intake and counsel on nutrition consistently.
Kelly worked really hard last year and put together a visual chart to be 
used as an aid for nutrition counseling.  The Goa State AIDS Control Society published the chart in the form of posters that now hang in two of the counseling centers within the main government hospital.  We have used funds from the Goan Infant Care Foundation to print out this chart in the form a handout, that may be used by counselors and taken home by patients.  Our next task is to reapproach the counsellors, and teach them how to properly utilize these handouts.

  There is much more to tell and many questions to ask.  I just wanted to 
reintroduce myself to this forum and to also welcome Kelly Bellomy and the 
Goan Infant Care Foundation to the forum.

  We look forward to sharing our progress with anyone, and hopefully to 
sharing the materials we have created to improve nutritional counseling, and to reduce the transmission of HIV from mother to child.

  Thank you very much,
Neisha D'Souza