Burundi - Phase II

• Why Phase II? 
  
  BD (Barefoot doctors) since July 2006 is actively involved in Burundi through several humanitarian initiatives devoted to the care of children with HIV, one of the priority problems in Burundi.
  
  Until February 2007, our two volunteers, Dr. Samir Birouk and Florence BOZIER have worked at the Maison Shalom, institution of orphans created by Marguerite Barankitsé after the ethnic massacres of 1993. This association provides a life for more than 10000 children. It also plans to build a hospital (hospital REMA), which will eventually accommodate mothers and babies in the maternity services, pediatrics, surgery, neonatology.
  
  The first objective of the mission is to implement, on the one hand, a protocol allowing aromathérapeutic care in order to stimulate the immune system of HIV patients, and help to fight against oxidative stress, one of the negatives elements for the development of HIV.
  
  Dr. Samir Birouk BOZIER and Florence have, during this period, intensively acted on the various spots of the Maison Shalom. Waiting for the valuable officials permits implementation of the protocol, Dr. Birouk has offered medical care to hundreds of children and their parents. Furthermore, many training sessions were cancelled to local medical personnel, family associations, patient groups on issues such as AIDS prevention, hygiene, nutrition, etc ...
  
  Contrarly to our expectations and our efforts, the House Shalàm did not have the will or the capacity to give us the essential permits implementation of the protocol.
  
• A fresh start
  
  Since March 2007, our local branch has been seeking new partners, and in May 2007, the first memories of Understanding were signed with 2 official major associations fighting against AIDS. The first, the association RAMA, based in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi, a workforce of 1125 patients with 117orphelins. Its objectives are to raise awareness of the population toward risk hiv/aids pandemic, the medical care of opportunistic infections, up anti-retroviral all people living with HIV (PHAs), the psychosocial care and equipment and nutritional support for them.
  The association has a good medical and paramedical staff and a topic structure to implement this protocol.

Another association, named NTURENGAHO focuses on health goals, and on the capacity of building for diagnosis and treatment of opportunistic diseases. It is a particularly dynamic to the extent that its president is none other than the former Minister of Health, Dr. Triphonie NKURUNZlZA. The latter, in the face of the pandemic raging in Burundi, has been very receptive to our ideas and our natural therapeutic solutions.

During the month of September 2007, our director of the scientific committee of the association, Pierre Franchomme visited Burundi to meet with the various officials of the Ministry of Health, including the Minister. He explained to a ministerial committee full benefits that could derive from healthcare facilities to manage cases of HIV, but also the solutions of production for these remedies at the local level.