Counterpart International Global Scholarship Program: "Leaders for a Sustainable Future"

As part of Counterpart International's (Counterpart) Global Scholarship program, in partnership with the University of Guyana, select students were given the opportunity to find solutions to reduce HIV/AIDS in Guyana, the country with the highest prevalence rate in the region.

Guyana is experiencing an increasingly serious AIDS epidemic. According to 2007 data, Guyana is identified as the South American country with the highest prevalence (CIA Factbook). AIDS has become the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 25 and 44 (Government of Guyana National HIV/AIDS Program). A fast rise in officially reported HIV/AIDS cases seems to signify an even greater problem. Local and national health providers are increasing their efforts to treat and prevent the spread of the disease.

Under the topic of Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) the students will be implementing a project entitled "Influences on infant feeding practices of mothers with HIV/AIDS in South Sophia." The goal of the project is to ascertain from seropositive mothers within the Guyana National PMTCT Program factors that influence choices of infant feeding practices within the first six months of life.

Five nursing students, Debra Ann Henry (Team Leader), Wendy Bowman, Allison Christopher, Tarramattie Barker and Dorette Husbands, developed a plan to monitor breast-feeding in HIV positive mothers. In most developing countries, health officials recommend HIV positive mothers to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months. The benefits of breastfeeding outweigh the potential threat of passing the disease to their children. As these students monitored and evaluated the existing 'Guyana National Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission' program, they offered means for reducing the rate of transmission.

As the student research team met with focus groups, they gained insight into the degree of mixed feeding that occurs and why, and they identified influences and practices that may positively or negatively affect a child's health outcome.

Identifying influences and practices that could improve the breast-feeding rate allowed the team to make recommendations to the National Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission program and increase children's health across the country.

The Counterpart Global Scholarship seeks to empower young leaders by creating a sustainable future through education. Past recipients have included a woman studying business in Uzbekistan; a memorial award for a young man in Iraq studying engineering; and a Senegalese woman from a rural village with dreams of higher education.