A group of passionate women and men started meeting under a tree to discuss the plight of the most needy members of their community. They were concerned with extreme poverty and HIV/AIDS. They became the Needy Support Centre and have since expanded to over 300 members, still motivated by the same concern for the most vulnerable and needy members in their community. With the support of CAP/AIDS, this community-based organization carries out home-based care, counseling, and vocational training for vulnerable youth.

Their members have also formed an HIV Activity Group which performs dances and drama production that raise awareness regarding HIV and related issues. The Activity Group includes a youth group and a women’s group and their performances have been used in HIV awareness campaigns to disseminate information about HIV, especially HIV prevention measures.

The Needy Support Centre continues to look forward as they try to tackle a growing demand for their services in their community. Their director, Stephen Dhikusoka, summed up their will to move forward by saying “CAP/AIDS found us when we were crawling, now we are walking, but we want to run!”