Children Affected by HIV and AIDS

The HIV/AIDS pandemic is having a devastating impact on the well-being of children, particularly in those countries with the highest HIV prevalence rates in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and parts of Asia. The virus affects children in multiple ways; they may lose one or both parents and other family members, or become infected with the disease.

Aside from the physical and psychosocial stress associated with the onset of the disease itself and the experience of loss of loved ones, children affected by HIV/AIDS may additionally be subjected to the burden of caring for others, stigma, discrimination, exploitation, abuse, financial hardships, and are less likely to attend school. The social and economic effects of the disease means that areas with high AIDS-related mortality are less able to provide traditional family and community care, protection and basic services for its children.

Children with HIV-positive parents are at a greater risk of being orphaned, abandoned, removed by social services, placed into foster or institutional care, becoming homeless, or left to head households on their own. Orphaned children infected with the virus often have more difficulty obtaining care. Families and communities have rallied to provide kinship care to the large majority of the children who have lost their parents, however families and communities are struggling to cope, physically and financially, with the numbers of children involved. Despite international recognition of the damaging effects of institutional care and its high costs, institutional care has proliferated, often supported by external groups wanting to help. Far too little has been done in such countries to systematically strengthen and support HIV/AIDS-affected families and families caring for orphans, or to develop family-and community-based care for children without adequate family care.

Children should be cared for by their immediate and extended families wherever possible, with support services put in place to avoid abandonment. Regulated kinship, foster care, and local adoption should be developed for children without close relatives. Young people and communities should be provided with information on HIV/AIDS to avoid infection. Adequate medical treatment is needed to enable infected parents to live longer and to prevent HIV transmission from mother to child.

The literature in this section includes background information on countries and projects tackling the crises, including statistics, policy papers, implementation projects, and care options for children orphaned or infected by HIV/AIDS.

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Challenges of developing a district child welfare plan in South Africa: lessons from a community-engaged HIV/AIDS research project

Jennifer Beard, Anne Skalicky, Busisiwe Nkosi, Tom Zhuwau, Mandisa Cakwe, Jonathon Simon, and Mary Bachman DeSilva - Global Health Promotion, 14 Mar 2018

The Amajuba Child Health and Wellbeing Research Project measured the impact of orphaning due to HIV/AIDS on South African households between 2004 and 2007. Community engagement was a central component of the project and extended through 2010. This article describes researcher engagement with the community to recruit participants, build local buy-in, stimulate interest in study findings, and promote integration of government social welfare services for families and children affected by HIV/AIDS.

Referral Mechanisms for Children Orphaned or Made Vulnerable by HIV

CRS, 4Children Project, 09 Mar 2018

This brief of referral mechanisms within the context of OVC programs describes the different types of referral mechanisms and describes key components of setting up a functioning referral system.

Progress for Every Child in the SDG era

UNICEF , 06 Mar 2018

This report from UNICEF assesses the world’s performance towards meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to date, focusing on 44 indicators that directly concern 2030’s most important constituency: children.

Let's Stop Trying to Quantify Household Vulnerability: The Problem With Simple Scales for Targeting and Evaluating Economic Strengthening Programs

Whitney M Moret - Global Health: Science and Practice, 01 Mar 2018

This article discusses efforts in 3 countries to develop simple, valid tools to quantify and classify economic vulnerability status.

Strengthening the Collection, Analysis, and Use of OVC_HIVSTAT Data

Jenny Mwanza, Kristen Brugh, Lisa Parker, Erin Schelar (USAID), and Amy Aberra (USAID), 01 Mar 2018

This webinar focused on explaining the HIV Risk Assessment cascade and how it is related to OVC_HIVSTAT disaggregates.

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The schooling of orphans and their lives in Malawi : A case study of continued schooling of orphans in secondary education

Hikaru Kusakabe - Osaka Human Sciences, 01 Mar 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate how orphans in secondary schools, especially those in the low-income class in society, manage to continue their education.

Integrating Violence Against Children Prevention and Response Interventions within PEPFAR HIV Pediatric Testing, Care and Treatment

Aften Beeler, Severine Chevrel, Siân Long, Kristin Weinhauer - 4Children, 2018

This report presents the preliminary findings from an ongoing project undertaken by 4Children that seeks to identify key opportunities to incorporate violence prevention and response interventions within priority PEPFAR Program Areas at clinical and community levels.

A Case for Investing in HIV-Sensitive Social Services for Vulnerable Children in Nigeria

Shar Kurtishi, David Akpan, Tapfuma Murove, Kelley Bunkers, & Doreen Magaji - Journal of Poverty, Investment and Development , 2018

A desk review was conducted to examine the current gaps in investment related to care and treatment for children living with or affected by HIV.

Challenges Affecting Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) in Embu County

Dorcas Nthenya Mutiso & Dr. Pius Mutuku Mutie - International Journal of Sociology, 2018

The purpose of this study was to assess the challenges affecting orphans and vulnerable children (OVCS) in Embu County.

HIV and Caregiver Common Mental Disorder: Synergistic Impacts on Child Development and Entry Points for Interventions

Mark Tomlinson and Xanthe Hunt - 4Children, Catholic Relief Services, 2018

In this paper, the authors review published literature on the mental health status of mothers living with HIV (MLH) and how this affects their children; outline the pathways between maternal HIV, maternal mental health problems, and negative child outcomes; and then describe a number of intervention entry points that they argue have the potential to enhance impact across PEPFAR platforms.