For the first time since the creation of PIUMA's Financial & Planning Committee last month, the committee met with PIUMA's Executive Committee. The purpose of the meeting was to begin working together to forge collective objectives.

The Financial & Planning Committee was established one month ago in order to oversee PIUMA's use of money. The committee will look into the allocation of resources and will have to be consulted in the drawing of PIUMA's future budgets. To best prepare the new committee for its upcoming tasks, today's meeting suggested scheduling a seminar with Mr. Rayben Sanga, PIUMA's financial advisor, upon his arrival from Dar es Salaam next month.

The meeting today, which drew 24 members from villages as far as Makwaranga for a festive singing of the PIUMA song and collective feast, also proposed training PIUMA volunteers in home-based care treatment. With the arrival of a new VCT nurse as early as July 1st, PIUMA hopes to hold a seminar on the second week of July to train its volunteers.

In the past, seminars on home-based care have been provided to PIUMA members through the Makete NGO, Tunajali, and conducted by the Lutheran Church. It is hoped that with PIUMA's own VCT nurse, home-based care seminars will be able to reach a greater PIUMA membership.