In Malawi, despite recent developments in antiretroviral therapy, viral load suppression among youth living with HIV is 35% lower than that among adults living with HIV (Malawi Population-based HIV Impact Assessment). This indicates that while treatment for HIV is available, youth face barriers to access.
Enter Camp Hope, a psychosocial intervention designed to address these barriers.
What is Camp Hope?
Camp Hope Malawi is a SeriousFun Partner Program, implemented by Access Health Africa in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation Malawi/Baylor Pediatric AIDS Initiative. Since 2011, Camp Hope has served a total of 1,620 youth in Malawi. Camp Hope offers a week-long residential summer camp experience to youth ages 11-15 living with HIV. Camp Hope offers education and inspiration so campers can lead healthy, positive lives despite their challenges. Campers have recently learned of their diagnosis and are facing psychosocial issues regarding the stigma surrounding the disease, nonadherence to medication, and/or failure to attend clinics regularly. The program sets healthy challenges with a youth-centered approach. Campers are empowered to take responsibility for their own health by learning about their diagnosis and available treatments, building a positive outlook for the future, and developing life skills.
How Are Campers Identified?
Campers are identified by health workers and come from all over Malawi. Among thousands of qualified youth, health workers must select only the neediest of clients to participate in Camp Hope based on the limited availability of spots. Selected campers have been recently diagnosed with HIV or disclosed as HIV+ and may have one or more of the following challenges: they are not attending clinics regularly, they are not taking their medication therefore putting themselves at risk for further health complications, they are having problems at school, they are having problems within their families or communities, and/or they don’t understand what is going on in their bodies and feel hopeless about the future.
How Many Campers Are There?
Camp Hope Malawi had 72 participants in its 2011 inaugural year, doubled the number of participants by 2014, and doubled again by 2017. Last year, the program reached an incredible 315 adolescents! We plan to exceed that number in 2020, despite the complications posed by COVID-19.
What are The Long Term Impacts of Camp Hope?
Impact evaluations indicate that after attending Camp Hope, campers are able to name their medications, understand the importance of taking them as prescribe, practice good hygiene, and feel more comfortable discussing HIV with their guardians than before. They are able to name the six food groups and use a Chichewa recipe book to prepare balanced meals. They demonstrate more concentration at school, confidence, and creativity. Campers report improved self-esteem and a greater sense of hope for the future, including future career aspiration. Many develop lifelong friendships with peers who are also living with HIV.
What about Camp Hope 2020?
Unfortunately, the global COVID-19 pandemic forced us to cancel the residential aspect of Camp Hope, but we are determined to adapt our programming to reach new campers in the last three months of 2020. Stay tuned - a preview of Camp Hope 2020: Hope at Home is coming next week!
