Monikie woman sets out to help HIV orphans in Africa

A woman is to leave life’s luxuries behind and head to Africa in a bid to help orphans born with HIV.

Joanna Taylor, 20, will fly out to the Accra region of Ghana on a volunteering mission to help children in orphanages and children’s homes in the area.

Joanna, from Monikie, said many of the children in the orphanages were born with the diseases that claimed their parents’ lives and she will be working 12-hour shifts throughout her stay to help support them.

According to Unaids – an organisation that aims to end Aids as a public health threat by 2030 – there are up to 320,000 people in Ghana, up to the age of 17, orphaned due to the infection.

The charity also says there are as many as 41,000 children living with the disease throughout the West African country.

She said: “I have always wanted to volunteer in Africa.

“I’ll be getting up at 5.30am and I’ll be doing things like helping with washing the children, feeding them, then I’ll be teaching them English and maths and playing games and sports activities, and mainly giving them love.

“A lot of them have been infected with diseases from birth.

“There’s a lot of people with HIV and Aids.

“There is also a lot of cholera in the region and also malaria.

“I have to get vaccinated and the organisation also provides medical care for the children.

“I love kids so much. I want to be a primary school teacher and plan on finishing my degree and then doing teacher training.

“I think being there and looking after kids from such a poor background will help me because they really need it.

“These kids really don’t have much – through no fault of their own – so I am really looking forward to being able to go out there and hopefully have a positive impact on their lives.”

Joanna, who will travel to Ghana in August and spend two weeks volunteering, is fundraising online.