Aid Agencies Target African Children in HIV/AIDS Campaign
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Source: U.N.Wire Tuesday, October 7, 2003
The World Bank, UNICEF and UNAIDS together have launched a set of
guidelines for improving HIV/AIDS-related programs targeting
children under the age of 8.
The guidelines, announced at the 13th International Conference on
AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa held in Kenya
last month, seek to strengthen the capacity of families and com-
munities to address the particular vulnerabilities of young chil-
dren, especially those left as orphans because of AIDS-related
deaths. As many as 11 million children in sub-Saharan Africa un-
der the age of 15 are estimated to have lost parents to HIV/AIDS.
"Mobilizing an urgent and massive response to the orphan crisis
in Africa is the litmus test by which governments in the north
and south must be judged," said Mark Stirling, head of UNICEF's
HIV/AIDS section. "Our energies must now be focused on ensuring
that our response matches the size, magnitude and long-term im-
pact of HIV/AIDS on the lives of children. We cannot continue
with the same business-as-usual approach."
According to the World Bank, the guidelines create a "common
platform" from which national and local partners can develop
HIV/AIDS programs designed to help children (World Bank release,
Oct. 6)
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Dr Rana Jawad Asghar
Program Manager Child Survival, Mozambique
Provincial Coordinator Sofala Province, Mozambique
Health Alliance International, Seattle, WA, USA
http://depts.washington.edu/haiuw/
Coordinator South Asian Public Health Forum http://www.saphf.org
mailto:jawad@alumni.washington.edu
http://www.DrJawad.com
--
From the Moderator:
You can download the "Operational Guidelines for Supporting Early
Child Development (ECD) in Multi-Sectoral HIV/AIDS Programs in
Africa" as Adobe PDF file (64 pp. 945 kB) at:
http://www.worldbank.org/children/ECD%20HIVAIDS%20manual.pdf
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