AFRO-NETS> The Tumaini Project

[Janet Feldman <kaippg@earthlink.net>]

The Tumaini Project
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----- Original Message -----
From: Michael Chung <mhchung@u.washington.edu>
Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2003 12:45 PM


Dear Friends,

In this time of war it is easy to forget that another war is being 
waged where many battles have already been lost. AIDS declared war on 
the African continent many years ago. Fortunately, in this war we can 
make a tremendous difference for those who are fighting for their 
lives. The only thing holding back these survivors is lack of money 
to pay for medications that can keep them alive. In the Tumaini Pro-
ject, which you can read about below, we are fighting it one battle, 
one person at a time. Unlike other wars, each battle won is one more 
life saved. We welcome your involvement.

Michael Chung
mailto:mhchung@u.washington.edu


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The Tumaini Project:
HAART Grants for Kenyans Living with AIDS

March 2003

Introduction

In 1999, 180,000 Kenyans died an AIDS-related death and it is esti-
mated that at least 2.1 million Kenyans will die of AIDS by 2005. 
While there is no drug to cure HIV infection, highly active antiret-
roviral therapy (HAART) can successfully treat AIDS and keep many HIV 
infected patients alive almost indefinitely. Unfortunately, the abil-
ity to afford AIDS treatment is beyond the reach of most Kenyans. The 
cost of treating infected Kenyans with antiretroviral drugs is esti-
mated to be USD 25 billion or 238 percent of the annual GDP of 
Kenya. In contrast, the total health care expenditure in Kenya was 
7.8 percent of the GDP in 1998. Thus, many HIV infected Kenyans die 
without ever receiving treatment.

The Tumaini Project is a mechanism created by physicians at the Uni-
versity of Washington and the University of Nairobi to assist Kenyans 
who are dying from AIDS and are unable to afford treatment. The pri-
mary goal of the project is to provide HAART for Kenyans until anti-
retroviral therapy becomes universally available or affordable. The 
Project assigns grants in the amount of USD 1,000 for each of its 
participants. One thousand US dollars can provide medical testing, 
treatment, and antiretroviral therapy for each participant for ap-
proximately one year. At that time, additional grants will be as-
signed to continue treatment.

Participant Selection

Persons are asked to participate in the Tumaini Project if they meet 
the following criteria:

1. AIDS - Person are considered for treatment if they present with a 
   clinical illness consistent with AIDS and their blood tests positive 
   for HIV. 
2. Economic Status - An assessment of the household economic status 
   is undertaken at that time to determine whether he or she is able to 
   afford AIDS treatment. 
3. Adherence - An assessment is performed to determine whether the 
   patient has a high likelihood of adhering to treatment and attending 
   clinic regularly. 
4. Residence in Nairobi - Those who are invited to participate are 
   required to stay in Nairobi for at least 12 months to ensure proper 
   treatment. 
5. Family - Infected nuclear family members of previously selected 
   participants are considered in advance of unrelated participants.

Project Guidelines

1. The Tumaini Project steering committee is composed of Drs. Michael 
   Chung, James Kiarie, and Grace John Stewart. 
2. Grants of USD 1,000 are assigned to each participant on the basis 
   of the above outlined selection criteria. This sum is allocated to 
   this participant regardless of how long the grant can be used to 
   treat him or her. 
3. Funds allocated to a participant are used for HIV medications, 
   prophylaxis and treatment of AIDS-related illnesses, medical labora-
   tory and radiological testing, and necessary referrals to physicians 
   outside the Project. 
3a. Funds are only used to diagnose and treat illnesses associated 
    with AIDS and HIV unless a medical emergency otherwise threatens the 
    life of the patient. 
3b. Funds are not used to support the patient's household expenses 
    unless such circumstances are deemed life-threatening. 
4. Physicians in the Tumaini Project work voluntarily and do not re-
   ceive any remuneration from project funds. 
5. If a participant reaches the 9th month of HAART therapy or USD 750 
   of his/her grant without having received additional funding, the Pro-
   ject will allocate any donations given at this time to said partici-
   pant first. No new participants will be enrolled at this time unless 
   funding permits.

Financial Matters

1. Funds for the Tumaini Project reside in a joint Kenyan bank ac-
   count opened by Drs. Michael Chung and James Kiarie. The bank account 
   is used solely to receive and give money associated with the Tumaini 
   Project. 
2. Copies of bank account statements and expense receipts are freely 
   available and are sent to donors on a quarterly basis. 
3. Donations are accepted from both international and domestic 
   sources. International donors can wire funds directly into the Kenyan 
   bank account.

Education

One goal of the Project is to educate the international community 
about AIDS and its impact on people living in Kenya. The Project 
seeks to personalize the relationship between donors and recipients 
and to put a human face on the suffering. After a participant is 
given a grant, the individual is asked whether he or she would be 
willing to share his or her photo and story with other people. If a 
participant is willing, then such material is shared with the commu-
nity through personal communications and the web. It is hoped that 
through glimpses into a life lived with AIDS, others will better un-
derstand the need and the hope they can offer.

If the participant is reluctant to share then no information will be 
revealed. This does not affect a participant's eligibility in the 
Project in any way. Social stigma surrounding HIV in Kenya is severe 
and protection of participants is of the highest concern.

Partnerships

Tumaini is the Kiswahili word for "hope". Hope for this project de-
rives primarily from its international partners. The Tumaini Pro-
ject's partners include the Slum Doctor Programme in Nairobi and the 
Northwest Coalition for AIDS Treatment in Africa (NCATA). Both or-
ganizations are based in Seattle, Washington.

For more information or to donate contact the Tumaini Project: 
mailto:mhchung@u.washington.edu

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