THE TORRENS FUND – HELP US SEND HIV+ KIWI TEENS TO CAMP!
The Torrens Fund is an initiative of Positive Women Inc. to fund HIV+ children and teens in New Zealand to attend the Positive Kids Camps in Australia. The Fund has been named in honour of Shirley Torrens who was a founding member of Positive Women Inc. in 1990 who has since passed away.
The Positive Kids Camps are an initiative of the Paediatric HIV Service at Sydney Children’s Hospital which works with children, families and pregnant women living with HIV. It is the only service of its kind in Australasia and provides medical management, psycho-social support, research, consultation and education.
Each year since 1990, the service has facilitated camps for children and families living with HIV. The aims of the camps are to:
- Facilitate communication between and within families living with HIV
- Reduce the isolation experienced by these families
- Provide a recreational and therapeutic environment where children and parents can share experiences with others in a similar way
- Provide a venue where information about the medical, social and other aspects of HIV can be shared and where new ways of coping with the virus can be learned.
- Special camps are held each year for HIV positive primary school aged children and another for HIV positive teens. These camps aim at teaching a new skill, increasing confidence, and increasing HIV knowledge, providing support and fostering peer networks.
There is no equivalent service available in New Zealand. We want to give New Zealand children and teens living with HIV the opportunity to attend these camps
If you would like more information on the camps contact our Social Worker, Marietta Chapman:
Phone: 09 623 9183 or 0800 769 848
Email: marietta@positivewomen.nz
To donate by direct deposit, the details are:
Positive Women Inc. (Torrens Fund) Acct number BNZ 020160 0411335 83
Or post a cheque made out to Positive Women Inc. (Torrens Fund) to PO Box 56076, Dominion Road, Auckland, 1446