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UNICEF's latest report details the severity and
extent of the HIV orphan crisis in Africa and
the urgent need for support |
Families supporting the massive and growing
orphan populations in sub-Saharan Africa need
immediate help
says UNICEF’s newly released
report, Africa’s Orphaned Generations. The
report outlines the implications of the problem
for the long-term economic and social stability
of sub-Saharan Africa.
AIDS has already orphaned a staggering 11
million children in sub-Saharan African
according to the report. Half of them are
between 10 and 15 years of age and have lost one
or both parents to the virus. The rapidly
growing number of orphans is beginning to
overwhelm the coping capacities of families and
communities, with extended families caring for
90% of all orphans in the region. In a
frightening forecast the report says that by
2010 the number of orphans will increase to 20
million. This translates into between
15 and 25%
percent of all children in a dozen sub-Saharan
African countries orphaned mostly by HIV/AIDS.
It will bring the total number of orphans in the
region to over 40 million.
According to UNICEF, “this is only the beginning
of a crisis
of gargantuan proportions, and the
worst is yet to come”. UNICEF executive
director, Carol Bellamy explained on
the
occasion of the release of the report that
UNICEF wishes "to sound a new and more urgent
alarm over what is arguably the most neglected
crisis spawned by
HIV/AIDS pandemic, the plight
of millions of profoundly vulnerable children
who have lost one or both parents to the
disease, and the long-term threat that the
situation poses to peace and security, not only
in sub-Saharan Africa, but worldwide”.
The profound trauma of losing a mother or both
parents
has devastating long-term implications,
not only for a
child’s well-being and
development, but also for the stability of
communities and, ultimately, nations. The
effects of the crisis on these orphans include
physical and emotional damage, stigmatisation,
disconnection from societal norms, lack of
education, and vulnerability to violence, sexual
exploitation and political opportunism. Then
there is the concern that the disease could
decimate the ranks of people with the skills to
help save these children, including extended
family members, teachers and health workers,
who
are dying in unprecedented numbers in some
countries, much faster than replacements can be
trained. The diversion of scarce development
resources to provide care and support for the
sick and dying and the increasing burden on
caregivers, who are often elderly grandparents
or extended family members, are also cause for
concern.
UNICEF regards enrolling children in school and
keeping them there as the most essential
ingredient in helping orphans cope with their
loss. Education has the power to break the
silence surrounding HIV/AIDS, to empower
children with the knowledge and life skills they
need to protect themselves and their families,
and to combat the stigma and discrimination that
marginalises orphans and others who are
affected. Immediate concerns such as
homelessness, malnutrition and protection from
exploitation must also be addressed, along with
basic education, medical care, legal protection
and vocational opportunities, to say nothing of
recreation. Community-wide counselling is needed
to prevent and help eliminate discrimination and
exploitation. Our mutual obligations under the
Convention on the Rights of the Child could not
be more compelling or clear. Education
is the
right of all children and the obligation of all
governments. Given the ripple-effect of
orphaning,
Africa’s Orphaned Generations
encourages hope in the face of an epic disaster
and, presents a strategy for giving all of
Africa’s orphaned children a safe, healthy and
well-educated childhood that will establish the
foundation for a productive adult life and for
their country’s overall development. |
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20 million orphans due to AIDS by 2010. UNICEF. |
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“They treat you badly. You
don’t feel like walking in the street, they
give you names. They whisper when you pass.
They take it that when one person in the
house is sick, all of you in that house are
sick.”
16-year-old South African girl.
UNICEF - Africa’s Orphaned Generations
Report 2003. |
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