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Theresa J. Kaijage
[edit]Theresa J. Kaijage, MSW, MPH, PhD (1947- present) is a well-known social worker who advocates for those infected with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania. Kaijage works to raise awareness about the disease and tries to assuage the the negative soci implications that accompany the diagnosis of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Kaijage is also the founder and director of the Tanzanian non-governmental organization, WAMATA, which educates and provides counseling services to those with HIV/AIDS. ^(post gazette)
Education and Career
[edit]At the University of Dar-es-Salaam , in Tanzania, Kaijage received a Bachelors of Arts degree in education in 1978. ^(Dissertation) She then went on to receive a masters degree in Social work from Washington University in St. Louis in the early 1990s. ^(Gazette)
Kaijage began her career as a school teacher in Tanzania, from there she became a Fulbright Scholar. ^(new wave) After loosing many friends and families to HIV/AIDS, Theresa saw a trend in the familial and social ostracism that accompanied the grim diagnosis. It was then, the vision of WAMATA emerged. ^(googlebook) Kaijage now dedicates her life to those with HIV/AIDS. She become a vital component in the battle to educate and trying to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Kaijage was especially important during the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS( UNAIDS) summit. ^(womens news) During the UNAIDS summit, Kaijage proposed that mother's who are HIV positive should not breastfeed but they should find alternate methods of feeding their enfant. This caused great stir among the world health leaders who advocate that breastfeeding is the best ways of feeding enfants in developing nations, even if the mother is HIV positive. This did not resonate well with Kaijage, she tried very hard to change this. In 1997, UNICEF and the WHO changed the guidelines on breastfeeding. Now mothers with HIV should avoid breastfeeding only when alternate means of nourishing the enfant is acceptable, feasible, safe, affordable and sustainable. ^(orange book)
WAMATA
[edit]- see page WAMATA
WAMATA is a Swahili acronym for the phrase "Walio Katika Mapambano Na AIDS Tanzania" which means "People in the fight against AIDS in Tanzania".
Personal Life
[edit]""Kaijage"" currently live in Tanzania, with her husband and two children. She is a practicing Catholic.
References
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