Government and Corporate Support Together Help Africans Battling Mal...(as theU.S. Global Leadership Against HIV...),Health

McKesson is World Vision's corporate partner in making Caregiver Kits, a first-of-its-kind program enabling Americans to supply essential, basic items to care for ill people in poor communities. Volunteers at American companies, churches and community groups have provided more than 100,000 of these kits to caregivers in Africa, Asia, and Latin America where World Vision has trained and equipped 59,000 home visitors to assist the chronically ill and care for orphans and vulnerable children.

"It is a privilege for us at McKesson to play a role in helping others around the globe," said Ron Simpson, vice president of sales for the Medical-Surgical division. "This helps caregivers assist patients with things we take for granted -- items like soap and Vaseline that are scarce or expensive in some parts of Africa."

Caregiver Lister Chingangu is one among more than 15,000 volunteers in a network of local aid groups implementing community-based care and outreach to orphans and vulnerable households in Zambia. She started the home-based care program, God Our Help Ministries, in Lusaka seven years ago. It has expanded five-fold in reach and now numbers 60 volunteers since gaining PEPFAR-funded support from a World Vision-led consortium called RAPIDS (Reaching HIV/AIDS Affected People with Integrated Development and Support).

"This has given us a great leap," Chingangu said. "The work has grown tremendously and has improved service delivery because our capacity has been built."

She represents the dedication of thousands of ordinary Zambians aided by U.S. funding, Zambian government support and partnerships with businesses and community programs.

Together, these elements are key to turning the tide against the twin epidemics of malaria and HIV and AI
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