"Imagine being married, giving birth to a baby that dies, contracting TB and HIV/AIDS and then being abandoned, all by the age of eighteen. Such is the plight of a patient we saw recently" (Bangwe nurses)

Joyce is a 30 year old widow and mother of 2. She had been in severe pain for months, unable to do anything for herself - even feed herself - and her children had stopped going to school to look after her. Over the last four months we have reduced her pain so much that she can now feed and wash herself, walk with support and do simple house hold tasks. She has been booked to start anti retroviral therapy and our job now is to support and keep her well until then.

Doreen is a 20 year old abandoned mum with a very disfiguring malignant tumour on her nose which has now infiltrated her mouth and is disseminated throughout her body. She now weighs less than 30 kg, and is too weak to fetch water, sweep her tiny house or care for her little boy who is covered in sores from scabies. Apart from pain relief there is little we can offer but we have asked our volunteers to visit daily to carry water and help with washing the child and clothing.