HIV / AIDS

HIV / AIDS

The HIV/AIDS scourge has been noted to have its most profound effects on children. Currently statistics show that more than half of the people with HIV infection are below the age of 25 and 60% of the new infections that occur are within the 15-24 years age group. The UNAIDS HIV/AIDS World Report 2000 estimates that there are 13 million AIDS orphans in the world. These statistics reveal the urgency with which HIV/AIDS issues need to be addressed among children.

During the course of this past year, Save the Children was able to successfully recruit a programme manager to head the HIV/AIDS Programme. We have in the past years been strategically engaging HIV/AIDS combat work cross-cuttingly through all our programmes. However it was apparent almost from the start that to ensure the efficiency of this strategy there should be a focal person who will lead HIV/AIDS issues in our organisation and of course also judging from the extent of the HIV/AIDS epidemic among our constituency. Activities set out for the year 2000-2001 picked up pace with the arrival of the focal person. This report seeks to provide a profile of the events that took place in the last year.

Advocacy, Awareness and Education on HIV / AIDS

Our field officers continued to carry out awarenedd and educational sessions for children in school and out of school regarding HIV/AIDS. This also included the establishment of Child-to-Child clubs for purposes of perpetuating HIV/AIDS education of chiuldren among children. Continued supporyt was also offerd to existing child-to-child clubs to continue with their work.

Awareness and advocacy was undertaken focusing on groups of adults, professionals and community based workers such as Nurses, Rural Health Motivator, Community Police and Communities regarding the effects of HIV/AIDS on children. This exercise highlights the specific issues that put children at risk to HIV and also the needs of children affected by AIDS. Issues of utmost importance addresed are:

• The need to avail HIV/AIDS ecucation, life skills education and child friendly health care services that will enable children to protect themselves against HIV
• The stigmatisation and discriumination of affected children
• The traumactic expereinces of children taking care of illparents and the eventual loss of parents
• The violation of affected children’s rights, especially the right to their inheritance
• The increasing number of children left to head households by themselves.