“The increased spiral of adult deaths in so many countries means that the number of children orphaned each day is expanding exponentially. Africa is staggering under the load.”
- Stephen Lewis, Chair of the Board of the Stephen Lewis Foundation
According to UNAIDS, there are currently 25 million people thought to be infected with HIV/AIDS on the continent of Africa. It is also estimated that there are 14 million children under the age of 15 orphaned by AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa alone, a number higher than the total of every boy and girl under the age of 18 in Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Ireland combined. This number is expected to climb to over 18 million children by the year 2010. These alarming statistics alone speak to the immense crisis the AIDS pandemic has created for the countless children who are the indirect victims of the disease, and who are left behind to navigate their way into adulthood without the guidance and help of parents.
The table below shows an approximate number of children orphaned due to AIDS by country in 2003.
Country Number of Orphans
Nigeria 1,800,000
South Africa 1,100,000
Tanzania 980,000
Zimbabwe 980,000
Uganda 940,000
Democratic Republic of Congo 770,000
Ethiopia 720,000
Zambia 630,000
AVERT: International AIDS Charity www.avert.org
Grandparents and Children Carry the Weight
As young adults between the ages of 15 and 49 continue to die from AIDS related diseases, traditional family structures are transforming. It is estimated that half of all people with HIV become infected before they are aged 25, developing AIDS and dying by the time they are aged 35, leaving behind their children to be raised usually by their grandparents, or left on their own in child-headed households.
Grandmothers Respond to the Crisis:
Grandmothers who often single-handedly care for 10-15 orphans simultaneously are increasingly carrying out responsibilities for orphan care due to the AIDS crisis.
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HelpAge International estimates that over 50 % of orphaned children live in grandparent-headed households in Botswana and Malawi, and over 60% in Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
“Grandmothers are emerging as the unrecognized heroes of the continent. No one gives them their due. Few acknowledge that society would not exist without them. No special provision is made for their food, clothing, shelter or emotional needs. Yet the fate of generations of children weighs heavily on their shoulders.”
- Stephen Lewis, Chair of the Board of the Stephen Lewis Foundation
Children Caring for Children:
A child-headed household is one that is led by a child under the age of 18. This child takes on the responsibilities usually carried out by parents, including providing care to their siblings and other children.
It is estimated that 10% of all children orphaned by HIV/AIDS in Africa are heads of households and care for siblings.
Children heading households face numerous challenges including:
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Stress due to poverty and the pressure of finding adequate food for themselves and their dependants
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Working long hours in often insecure and poorly paid jobs to afford the necessities of life
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Leaving school to work or care for other children
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Little or no access to health care
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Coping with their grief from losing parents to HIV/AIDS
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Dealing with the community stigmatization and social isolation attached to HIV/AIDS
It is not difficult to see how the challenges faced by child-heads of households and children orphaned by AIDS in general contribute to future cycles of poverty, whereby children denied access to education, healthcare, and nurturing and caring adults today, will continue to experience the negative ripple effects of these challenges well into their adult lives.
War Child Canada Projects Making a Difference
In an effort to address some of the challenges faced by the estimated 750,000 children orphaned by AIDS in Ethiopia, War Child Canada, with its national partner People 2 People, are supporting the "Ethiopia HIV/AIDS Project: Support for children and youth orphaned by AIDS" to provide 300 children orphaned by HIV/AIDS with basic necessities including food and shelter, as well as access to education, skills training, psychosocial rehabilitation and HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. Child heads of households, most of whom are female, are provided with vocational training, and their younger siblings are provided with the necessary resources to gain access to an education. These young people are also participating in peer support groups, building leadership skills and self-confidence, as well as sharing their knowledge of HIV/AIDS issues with their communities.
Want to Find Out more?
1. People to People:
http://www.peoplepeople.org/
2. Stephen Lewis Foundation:
http://www.stephenlewisfoundation.ca/
3. BBC: AIDS in Africa. The Orphaned Continent
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/africa/2000/aids_in_africa/default.stm
4. The Future Hidden Costs of Children Orphaned By HIV/AIDS
http://www.aidsbabies.org/problem/future.htm
See more photographs from War Child Canada’s projects in Ethiopia.
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