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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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.

Zunde Ramambo as a Traditional Coping Mechanism for the Care of Orphans and Vulnerable Children: Evidence from Gutu District, Zimbabwe

John Ringson - African Journal of Social Work, 28 Dec 2017

This study sought to examine the feasibility of rejuvenating and strategically repositioning the Zunde raMambo (King’s granary) as a traditional orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) coping mechanism in Zimbabwe with a special reference to Gutu District.

Needs and challenges of lay community health workers in a palliative care environment for orphans and vulnerable children

Bonita Bernice Visagie & Jace Pillay - Health SA Gesondheid, 20 Dec 2017

The focus of this study is to explore the role of lay health workers in a community organization providing palliative care to orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS, located in rural Bronkhorstspruit, Gauteng Province of South Africa.

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Abandoned Children Admitted to the Nursery of Lome (Togo): Place of HIV/AIDS Infection

Guedehoussou T, Azoumah D, Djadou E, Agbèrè AD, Tatagan Agbi K and Atakouma DY - Pediatric Infectious Disease, 04 Dec 2017

The authors conducted a case-control study of 102 children with positive HIV serology out of 956 received and screened at admission at Sainte Claire Nursery (SCN) in Lomé from 1st January 2000 to 31st December 2014 with the aim of to determine the social profile, the weight evolution and the fate of these children admitted in a difficult situation.

Striving for the Sustainable Development Goals: What do children need to thrive?

Lucy Jamieson & Linda Richter - South African Child Gauge 2017, 01 Dec 2017

This essay critically engages with the 2030 Global Agenda and assesses the potential of the SDGs to transform our world to enable all children – regardless of race, gender, ability, or social background – to not only survive but thrive.

Final Project Evaluation Report towards Systematic Change to Realize Children’s Rights in Zambia (2013 to 2017)

Ngoni S Nsana, Bob Muzyamba, Mutinta Nketani - Save the Children, 01 Nov 2017

The purpose of this endline evaluation is to assess the CRG, CP and HIV&AIDS achievements against the project goal and outputs.

Impact of care at foster homes on the health-related quality of life of HIV-infected children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study from India

K. G. Gopakumar, Kamalakshi G. Bhat, Shantharam Baliga, Nitin Joseph, Neha Mohan, Avinash K. Shetty - Quality of Life Research, 26 Oct 2017

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of care at foster homes on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of children living with HIV (CLHIV), attending a referral ART Centre, and to compare their HRQOL with children living in their own homes.

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HIV/AIDS and the Socio-emotional Development of Children in Southern Africa

George Chitiyo & Morgan Chitiyo, 24 Oct 2017

The purpose of this chapter [from the book Assisting Young Children Caught in Disasters] is to highlight the impacts of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on young children, particularly those aged eight and below, and identify interventions that have been shown to be efficacious in terms of the socio-emotional welfare of children.

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The State of Play: How have global children and youth issues fared in the U.S. government’s Fiscal Year 2018 appropriations process?

Gillian Huebner Consultant, Elevate Children Funders Group, 29 Sep 2017

This document sheds some light on where funding discussions currently stand with regard to U.S. government programs for global children and youth issues.