World AIDS Day 2011: focus on Sub Saharan Africa

December 1 marked World AIDS Day, an opportunity for people to unite in the fight against HIV. Approximately 33.3 million people worldwide are living with HIV, including 2.5 million children. A further 16 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS. 68% of all people living with HIV reside in sub-Saharan Africa.  Save the Children envisions a world where children and families can live free of HIV infection and in which families that are affected by HIV and AIDS can live positively, productively, and free of stigma and discrimination. We work to protect children whose lives have been affected by the pandemic. Young people affected by poverty, illiteracy, low levels of schooling, child labour and early pregnancy have an increased risk of contracting HIV. Support our HIV and AIDS projects around the world.

Photo by Jenny Matthews / Save the Children: Enat Early Childcare Development Center in the Kebele Area of Addis Ababba, Ethiopia. The area has been hit hard by HIV and AIDS. Almost all of the students are orphans, having lost one or both parents to AIDS.

Ethiopia: improving quality and access to HIV and AIDS services

The national prevalence of HIV in Ethiopia is estimated to be 4.4%, with rates increasing in rural areas. Girls and young women are most affected, with 10% of females aged 15 to 24 HIV positive. HIV and AIDS has also emerged as a growing cause of early childhood death.

Save the Children has over 20 years experience of implementing health and HIV and AIDS projects in Ethiopia, with the aim of expanding access to quality health care and HIV and AIDS information and services for the poorest and most vulnerable. We are working towards building the capacity of government partners to deliver effective, efficient, appropriate and equitable health care. Our work includes HIV and AIDS prevention education for in and out of school youth, as well as social, economic and psycho-social support for children affected by HIV and AIDS.

Strengthening Systems

We are working to strengthen the health systems in the Amhara region for the delivery of quality health and HIV and AIDS related services for children, adolescent and their caregivers. This is to be achieved through working alongside Government to strengthen management and technical capabilities at all levels in the provision of essential health and HIV and AIDS related care, including the community, health post, health centre and hospital level.

Children and community involvement

We have established representative community health committees in ten villages of Debresina, as well as in Legambo and Dessie.

We support youth volunteers to participate in the delivery of disease prevention messages to encourage use of reproductive health services. Children and adolescents participate in the design of health related interventions and the evaluation of project activities through child health committees in each kabele.

Advocacy work 

Advocacy at the regional and national level is aimed at shifting government health financing policy away from user fees to health care free at the point of access, with protection for the poorest. Finally, building regional and local level skills in planning, budgeting and financial management will strengthen the health system and contribute to ensuring that these health initiatives do not undermine national health systems.

Download background briefing on health and HIV in Ethiopia.

 

 Kenya: HIV and AIDS Prevention and Support

 

More than 60% of all orphaned children in Kenya are directly linked to the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Many orphans and other vulnerable children suffer from poor health, malnutrition and psychological stress. They may be unable to access basic education, experience abuse and neglect, and be subjected to stigma and discrimination.

Our program aims to ease the challenges faced by youth and children as a result of HIV and AIDS through prevention and support. We work to:

• Support peer youth educations and provide life skills training to children, in areas such as self esteem, decision making, leadership, understanding of sexual health information and HIV prevention.
• Reduce the prevalence of HIV and AIDS by increasing access to community health services, conducting community-based mobile outreaches on adolescent reproductive sexual health, and facilitating voluntary counselling and testing services.
• Improve the well-being of children, youth and families affected by HIV and AIDS by providing psycho-social services such as counseling and group therapy, secondary school fee subsidies and income generation livelihood grants for child-headed or vulnerable households caring for HIV orphans.
• Increase the capacity of stakeholders to effectively address issues of girls, boys and youth affected by HIV and AIDS by training ‘Community Owned Resource Persons’ to support children and their caregivers affected by HIV and AIDS, sensitizing  caregivers and NGOs on child rights and child protection, and conducting community forums on stigma and discrimination reduction.
  

Download briefing on our HIV and AIDS projects in Kenya.

Kenya: Economic Empowerment

The HIV pandemic is a powerful contributing factor to economic impoverishment in Kenya. People living with HIV have the potential for self employment or gainful employment if they can access vocational training or the skills and finance necessary to be entrepreneurs or undertake income-generating activities.

Our program aims to build back household incomes eroded by AIDS and to prevent further infections, with a focus on youth and those affected by HIV and AIDS. We work to:

• Improve the accessibility of education, vocational and entrepreneurial skills education by providing subsidized educational materials, fees support, and support for vocational skills development for young people in local polytechnic institutions.
• Increase incomes for youth and HIV and AIDS affected households by empowering community and youth organizations to start new income generating activities including agricultural production, animal stock, creating market linkages, commerce.
• Increase community and youth group access to microfinance and financial education, training young people and community groups on entrepreneurial skills and basic micro- enterprise management.

Since March 2011, our program has helped test more than 3,000 young people and children for HIV, has taught life saving skills to 300 children, has supported community groups in conducting outreach events to raise awareness on HIV, and has established a new youth support group for people living with HIV.

Download briefing on our HIV and AIDS projects in Kenya.

Kenya: Community Care and Support

 

HIV and AIDS has devastated many families economically in Meru Central District. An estimated 36,000 orphans and vulnerable children live in the Meru Central District, most attributed to parents having died of AIDS related illnesses.

Our program helps train community groups to provide appropriate care and support to orphans, vulnerable children, people living with HIV and AIDS, and their families in the Meru Central District. We work to:

• Train community members to participate in project activities and link beneficiaries for support in hospitals.
• Facilitate caregiver training on child rights, HIV prevention and treatment, stigma reduction, and importance of education.
• Provide life skills training for children on decision making, self esteem, growing up, relationships, and HIV.

Since October 2007, we have supported over 4,000 children, trained over 1,000 caregivers on child rights, child protection and livelihood support, subsidized school levies for over 500 children, provided uniforms to almost 3,000 primary school children, and established a Men’s HIV Support Group with 250 members.

Download briefing on our HIV and AIDS projects in Kenya.

  Read more about our work around the world on HIV and AIDS.