Children in Crisis: A Practical Approach to Assist Orphans and Vulnerable Children

The Facts

The hidden face of the HIV/AIDS pandemic is a child's. By 2005, there will be more than 20 million AIDS orphans around the world. In Africa alone, UNAIDS, UNICEF and USAID estimated that as of 2001, 11 million African children under the age of 15 were orphaned by AIDS. By 2005 that number is projected to surpass 16 million¹.

Children are suffering the loss of parents, teachers, community members and peers as a result of the pandemic. The tragic loss of these key adults who once provided stability and protection for children has now resulted in a rapid increase of children who are malnourished, forced to drop out of school and exploited for cheap labor. In some settings, these circumstances make children vulnerable to sexual abuse and sex trafficking, and contribute to the proliferation of child soldiers who are forced to serve in rebel militias and other armed movements. As HIV/AIDS destabilizes families and entire societies, it is leaving children without the care and support necessary to grow up, survive and thrive.

Despite the trend in increased U.S. funding for global HIV/AIDS, support for children affected by AIDS has been inadequate. The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is an important step in the right direction and a good opportunity to address the crisis of children affected by AIDS in a more comprehensive and effective way.

The Need

In expanding funding for global HIV/AIDS, the U.S. can and must do more to support and care for children affected by HIV/AIDS. A growing coalition of advocacy, faith based, humanitarian and human rights organizations are calling for an expanded response and specifically recommend that:

1. Congress commit $3.5 billion for HIV/AIDS in the FY'04 appropriations.

2. No less than $300 million of new HIV/AIDS funding, from USAID and other bilateral accounts, should be dedicated to address the needs of children affected by AIDS. This money-roughly $50² per HIV/AIDS-affected child annually-will provide the necessary basic services to ensure the health, social and economic well-being of 6 million children, an estimated one-third of those made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS.

3. The U.S. Government should institute an inter-agency coordinated response to meet the comprehensive needs of orphans and vulnerable children.

The Response

An effective response to the AIDS orphans and vulnerable children crisis must include the design and implementation of policies and programs that are centered on grassroots, community-based approaches. Non-governmental organizations that are not-for profit, privately funded and citizen-supported, including faith-based organizations, have the greatest reach to those who have the greatest need. Working together at the local community level, some of the specific interventions will provide:

A Resource

The Hope for African Children Initiative, "HACI", which means "hope" in Swahili, is a community-based, pan-African effort established by six leading global humanitarian organizations. HACI specifically addresses the challenges faced by children affected by AIDS in Africa, and the millions more whose parents are sick or dying from opportunistic infections caused by the HIV virus. The HACI partners include:

Together, HACI partners form a coordinated and comprehensive network on the ground throughout Africa to increase the capacity of local communities to provide prevention, care, and support services to African children and their families affected by HIV/AIDS. Leveraging public and private resources, HACI's 3 priorities are:

1) Facilitating expansion of African organizations working locally to address AIDS-related challenges;

2) Providing financial, material and technical resources to caregivers, enabling them to better coordinate efforts and provide additional services to children; and

3) Supporting local advocates, including the Faith Communities, in efforts to engage government leaders and leverage political commitment to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

For more information contact: Jennifer Delaney, Hope for African Children Initiative Tel: 703-807-1264/Fax:703-807-1274 Email: jdelaney@hopeforafricanchildren.org

¹ "Children on the Brink 2002: A Joint Report on Orphan Estimates and Program Strategies" UNAIDS, UNICEF, USAID. July 2002. Appendix I: Statistical Tables, 2001-Africa and 2005-Africa .

² "Cost Effectiveness Analysis as a Programming Tool for HIV/AIDS Orphaned/Affected Children in Sub-Saharan Africa" (A consultancy report to USAID/DCOF, Washington, DC 07/2000).