Title: Taiwan Foundation Seeks Foster Homes for AIDS Babies Taiwan Church News 2821 20-26 March 2006 Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong. Written by David Alexander
In 2005 Taiwan¡¦s AIDS foundation, which has several years of experience in operating a care center and hospice for infected persons, opened a special facility for the care of AIDS babies. This year the foundation is undertaking the task of seeking to recruit and train up families to give foster care to AIDS babies. Choiu Hsu-mei, a member of Yi-li Presbyterian Church in Taipei, is the foundation¡¦s executive secretary. She says that caring for an AIDS baby is an entirely different task from caring for a child with no such risk. Given that public understanding of AIDS is so shallow, she acknowledges that such families as are willing to foster an AIDS baby need love, faith and courage.
AIDS statistics for 2005 have been published. They indicate that among the HIV positive population of Taiwan, 68% have been infected through the use of illegal drugs. One fifth of Taiwan¡¦s HIV positive population are female, and many of those are in their 20¡¦s and 30¡¦s, prime child bearing years. When these women become pregnant, they tend to neglect medical care and prenatal checkups, because visits to medical practitioners put them at risk of exposure for their drug and HIV status. The children to whom they give birth are then at risk.
The AIDS Baby care facility currently has three resident infants. Among these, one is now six months of age. This child has received anti retroviral therapy since birth, and the blood tests have shown no trace of infection. Ms. Chiou says that the chances that a baby born to an HIV positive mother, even with the therapy that has been given, to be virus free after six months, are only one percent. That being the case, this particular child ¡§gets the gold medal¡¨.
HIV positive mothers and their newborns are funneled to the AIDS Baby house through the Social Welfare Bureau. But after six months, if a child is to have a chance of normal social development, home placement is essential. In World Vision/Taiwan and the Family Helper Association both have well designed and operated Foster Care arrangements, but neither of these is able to deal with the special challenges of an AIDS baby. This has put the foundation in the position of having to developo its own system. They are seeking families wherein both father and mother have experience and are certified for fostering by their local health departments. When asked if accepting an AIDS baby into a home does not present a risk, she answers, ¡§It takes real courage to change the diaper and deal with any other potentially infective secretions of one of these children.¡¨ Knowing that the public perceptions of AIDS are shallow, she believes that few families will step forward to voluntarily care for these children. Yet she continues to have faith, saying, ¡§God will make a way.¡¨
For more information: Chiou Hsu-mei ili@www.ili.org.tw Aids Education Foundation <http://www.aidscare.org.tw/>www.aidscare.org.tw Taiwan Church News is published weekly in Taiwan's local languages. Visit our web site: www.pctpress.com.tw