Babies born HIV positive get a second chance, virus free!

Nargis Kasmani moves mountains: she saves and changes lives in Kenya. No challenge seems ever too big for her since she decided to make a difference in her community. Several years ago, traumatic events in her life led her to reexamine her life goals and she closed down her business and joined Lions International where she has devoted her time and effort at improving the lives of Kenyans.

A petite, rather quiet woman, Nargis will rarely volunteer to speak about her or advertise her accomplishments and yet there are many.

In addition to her work at Lions, Nargis runs an orphanage where many children are HIV positive or have lost parents to AIDS. This has led her in 2007/2008 to want to explore ways to improve the odds of these HIV positive babies of becoming healthy and free of the virus. Research and consultations with HIV specialists indicated that the babies should not be breastfed and that a nutritional substitute needed to be provided. Discouraging the women from breastfeeding presented a lot of problems and finding an appropriate and effective formula took time and research. Nargis teamed up with a couple of nutritionists, a health food company,  Azuri, and researched the use of amaranth in India. They found some shortcomings, mainly that the approach was not holistic. After much experimentation, they came up with a mixture that not only contained amaranth but also other fruits and vegetables that were dried and ground up into a powder.

In the following video Nargis describes the pilot program that was put together and its success.

Each time I join one of MEAK medical missions, I get to witness Nargis’ special magic.  Whether it is on an eye mission (Lions International provides the medical team that she oversees) or a heart mission (she helps with finding funds and sponsors) Nargis is there, working on the front line and behind the scene at once. In addition to her responsibilities at Lions she continuously comes to the rescue. Whenever we encounter children who have special urgent medical needs beyond the ones we can deliver on the spot, it is Nargis who facilitates things in Nairobi. Dee Belliere from MEAK initiates the process, arranges for the transport and Nargis lines up the doctors, finds housing for the patient and parent, and clothes if necessary and reaches out to Lions for funding. Through her work at Lions she has developed a broad network of local contacts in the medical field, in the business community, and in the government that she can reach out to if need be. Nargis and Dee work wonderfully together. Dee is ready to venture out far into the bush to reach nomadic communities, provide funding, and part of the logistics and Nargis comes along with the medical team.

Nargis’ relentless perseverance, and deep love of children are making a difference in the lives of Kenyans and others in Africa because this pilot program, which she spearheaded, is being replicated in other parts of Africa.

I got a good measure of her character when I went with her and a few others on a seven days walk in the Ndoto mountains in Northern Kenya, walking seven hours a day. Despite the difficulties she had with her back due to a gang attack a few years ago, which led her to have a broken back,  diabetes, and a hilly terrain, Nargis had decided to complete this walk and she did. No hanging out late around the campfire though, she was in bed early every night! No mountain is too great to climb, nor challenge too big to take on for Nargis. She is now on to her next venture with Lions: Sight for Kids. A medical team goes out to schools through out the country, screening the children for eye problems, and doing preventive work.

If you are not totally impressed, here is the clincher. She is a fabulous cook! After a days work on one of these medical missions in the bush, she will go into the “kitchen” if you can call it that , take over and cook a delicious meal with chapattis. That is how she relaxes. Bravo Nargis! You are a star in my book!