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Although HIV is no longer a priority for humanitarian interventions, vulnerable PLHIV still require special attention, as they have difficulty in following ARV treatment due to lack of food, and therefore remain with a detectable viral load with the risk of infecting their sexual partners.

Today, only vulnerable PLHIV with moderate to severe acute malnutrition, women under PMTCT, children under PMTCT and OVCs are likely to benefit from this nutritional supplement. But unfortunately in the active queue of SYM, the majority of them are more deprived, are in extreme poverty and find themselves in vulnerability because they cannot meet their basic needs.

Nutritional support greatly helps vulnerable people on ARVs to reverse the effects of malnutrition, tolerate drugs and cope with side effects, especially in a resource-poor environment.
Service Yezu mwiza in collaboration with the Ministry of National Solidarity, Human Rights and Gender as well as the Red Cross Burundi tries with the means on board to help every month some PLHIV suffering from malnutrition by providing them nutritional support consisting of rice, beans, fortified corn flour, flour for porridge and cottonseed oil.

The amount received by each person varies according to the case of malnutrition, for example: The case of PLHIV with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) receives 3 kg of porridge flour, 5 kg of beans, 5 kg of fortified maize flour and 1 liter of cotton oil; the case of PLHIV with moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) receives 5 kg of porridge flour, 5 kg of beans and 1 liter of cotton oil; the case of women under PMTCT receives 5 kg of porridge flour, 5 kg of beans, 5 kg of fortified maize flour; a child under PMTCT receives 3 kg of porridge flour; an OVC with MAM receives 5 kg of beans, 5 kg of fortified maize flour and 1 liter of cottonseed oil.

That nutritional support is of crucial importance if it is regular, because it allows these beneficiaries to have a balanced diet so that after the 6-month period they can get out of this malnutrition. It should be noted that by the end of 2018, more than 20 beneficiaries had progressed well and left this category.