27 Nov 2009

CAMEROON / AIDS

Half a million people are known to be living with HIV in Cameroon, of which 69,000 are under the age of 15. Young women are especially at risk because they’re often unable to negotiate safe sex. UNICEF

Posted at: November 27, 2009 12:01 am

Duration: 02:53

Available in: SD

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Full script

STORY: CAMEROON / HIV-AIDS
TRT:  2:53
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: FRENCH / ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 4-5 NOVEMBER 2009, NORTHERN CAMEROON

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide Shot, Adele in cassava field
2. Close up, Adele working in cassava field with machete
3. Med shot, Adele working in cassava field with machete
4. Close up, photo of Adele's husband
5. Wide shot, Adele tending her daughter's grave
6. Wide shot, Adele and some of her children walking from the house to the cassava field with machete's etc
7. Wide shot, Adele's children working in cassava field
8. Wide shot, Adele in her store room at the market, pick up a bag and walks out into market
9. SOUNDBITE (French) Adele, single mother living with HIV:
"Before we were really suffering, things were not moving and we used to live in a bad situation. But now I'm strong with the help of Femme Pour Christ."
10. Wide shot, Adele walking into town
11. Wide shot, Adele serving a customer in the market
12. Med shot, Adele putting dried herbs into a bowl
13. Wide shot, Adele organizing nuts at her stall
14. Close up, holding up vegetables
15. Wide shot, Local Nurse Yepele Therese Classe walking to Adele's house
16. Various shots, Adele greeting Local Nurse Yepele Therese Classe in her house
17. Close up, vitamins in hands
18 .Med shot, local Nurse Yepele Therese Classe
19. Various shots, local Nurse Yepele Therese Classe telling Adele not to only eat cous cous
20. Wide shot, people walking into and out of market
21. Wide shot, people in the market
22. SOUNDBITE (English) Souleymane Kanon, Chief, HIV/AIDS UNICEF, Cameroon:
"Thanks to the UNICEF supported project, the people who are affected, infected or who are sick, are now capable of living a normal life, they can work and also be active and productive in their community."
23. Wide shot, Adele cooking on a small fire
24. Close up, Adele stirring the pot on the fire
25. Wide shot, Adele making cassava cous cous
26. Close up, Adele making cassava cous cous
27. Wide shot, Adele serving her family food at the table

STORYLINE:

Growing Cassava in these fields in northern Cameroon is a hard way of making money for single mother Adele.

She's living with HIV and lost her husband to the virus seven years ago.  Two years ago her daughter also died from AIDS.

Adele has to support ten children.  She struggled for a long time to put food on the table and take the necessary steps to look after herself.

But her life has changed since she was given help by a local NGO, Femme Pour Christ, supported by UNICEF.

As part of their income generation program Adele received a grant of one hundred dollars which meant she could plant more crops and set up a small stall in the market.

SOUNDBITE (French) Adele, single mother living with HIV:
"Before we were really suffering, things were not moving and we used to live in a bad situation. But now I'm strong with the help of Femme Pour Christ."

Every morning Adele walks into town to run her stall. She sells dried vegetables nuts and spices.

On average she makes around ten dollars a day. This allows her to feed the family three times a day instead of just once and she's now sending five of them to school.

Nutrition plays a vital role in the management of HIV/AIDS. Nurse Yepele Therese Clarisse with the UNICEF supported NGO visits Adele three times a week to make sure she has enough antibiotics and vitamins. She also advises her on the need for a varied diet to strengthen her immune system and fight the virus.

The income generating project is currently helping two hundred and thirty four families supporting more than one thousand vulnerable children. Grants of up to three hundred dollars are provided for activities ranging from selling food items in the market to setting up a small timber business.

SOUNDBITE (English) Souleymane Kanon, Chief, HIV/AIDS UNICEF, Cameroon:
"Thanks to the UNICEF supported project, the people who are affected, infected or who are sick, are now capable of living a normal life, they can work and also be active and productive in their community."

Half a million people are known to be living with HIV in Cameroon, of which sixty nine thousand are under the age of fifteen.  Young women are especially at risk because they're often unable to negotiate safe sex.

UNICEF is working with the Ministry of Health and the National Aids Committee to ensure more families like Adele's are able to continue living a normal life.