[Memisa and home care for AIDS patients in Zambia]

Health care in Zambia has since long been receiving support from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like Memisa. Church organizations bear responsibility for a considerable part of the national health services. During the last 15 years, growing attention has been given to improvement of basic services in the villages and to recruitment and organization of groups in the community active in the field of health care. The combat against AIDS is a major focus. Many NGOs give health education on HIV and AIDS, are coaching HIV-positive individuals and are trying to organize support for AIDS patients and their relatives and relief for women and children after the death of husband or father. The community home care projects established in the urban areas of Copperbelt province in Zambia provide a decent terminal phase for AIDS patients and assist the surviving families in maintaining a certain socioeconomic level of existence.