Sister Giovanna with some of the refugee children in Nzara, southern Sudan.We've just received a lovely card from Sister Giovanna who is one of the Comboni Sisters who has done a lot of work on projects funded by IRT in souterhn Sudan. She wrote to tell us about  the 'Rainbow Community' in Nzara, which IRT has helped support. The Rainbow Community was established in 2004 as a support group for people living with HIV, many of its members also being refugee women and children. The centre provides an invaluable service - holding workshops, group meetings and providing some meals for its members.

Sister Giovanna expresses her gratitude for the help that we and our donors have been able to give the Rainbow Community and she has sent us some individual and quite personal accounts of a few members it has helped. 

She talks about a 2 year old boy, Thomas Sette, who lives in a villaga called Namako. Thomas has very limited movement and sensitivity in his limbs and doctors in Nzara still havent diagnosed the illness. Both of Thomas's parents discovered not long after he was born that they were HIV positive. They were worried about what might happen to Thomas should they both pass away and were told about the Rainbow Community. Since they started visiting the centre, Thomas's father sadly passed away, but with the help of the Rainbow Community, Priscilla (his mother) and Thomas have been doing ok. They have received lots of support and attention without which things might be very different.

Flora Anthony is a 10 year old orphan girl whose parents both died of HIV/AIDS not so long ago. She was sent to Nzara to live with her aunt and it is here that she was tested for and also discovered to be suffering with HIV. Flora is a very quiet and ill girl, who has not only witnessed the death of both her parents but has also seen terrible violence whilst hiding from the LRA. Her aunt brought her to the Rainbow Community where she has been receiving lots of physical and mental help and this week Flora started to speak and smile to others. This is a really promising sign that there is hope she may find happiness again. 

Its great to hear stories of exactly who our projects are helping and we thank everyone who donates to IRT - this is your work too!

By Georgina Terry