Empowering communities in Africa to continue to care well
for orphans and vulnerable children despite the pressures of the crisis.
THE CHALLENGE
̶By 2010 it was
estimated that there would be 20 million AIDS orphans, many of them in Sub
Saharan Africa and this number continues to increase; many of the income
generating middle generation are dead and sometimes up to one third of children
are orphaned.
̶The magnitude of the
AIDS orphan crisis has resulted in a tragedy of bereaved and traumatised
children, who may grow up alone, taking over adult roles and responsibilities
whilst being flung into sudden poverty and insecurity by their parents' deaths
and struggling to survive in impoverished communities.
̶To support younger
siblings they may to leave home and live on the streets being forced to live by
prostitution or crime.
̶Generally in Africa
there is a humane and cost effective community care system that ensures that
the needs of all children and vulnerable adults are met within the extended
family and community; this must be supported.
̶The AIDS orphan crisis
presents an unprecedented challenge to African community care systems resulting
in a real danger that they may break down altogether with disastrous
consequences for the future, both in terms of millions of destitute children
and vulnerable adults and economically as progress towards all development
goals is reversed.