AIDS orphans in sub-Saharan Africa: a looming threat to
future generations
 While the tragedy of the HIV/AIDS epidemic has been drawing increased
media attention, one the most troubling aspects of it – the long-term impact
on African societies of some 11 million AIDS orphans in sub-Saharan Africa –
has been featured less often.
There are more than 34 million orphans in the region today and some 11
million of them are orphaned by AIDS. Eight out of every 10 children in the
world whose parents have died of AIDS live in sub-Saharan Africa. During the
last decade, the proportion of children who are orphaned as a result of AIDS
rose from 3.5% to 32% and will continue to increase exponentially as the
disease spreads unchecked. As a result, the disease is in effect making
orphans of a whole generation of children, jeopardizing their health, their
rights, their well-being and sometimes their very survival, not to mention
the overall development prospects of their countries.
The AIDS epidemic contributes to deepening poverty in many communities,
since the burden of caring for the vast majority of orphans falls on already
overstretched extended families; women or grandparents with the most meagre
resources. Such households are expected to earn 31% less than other
households. Without a real safety net, street life is the recourse for many
orphans, who often suffer from poor health, trauma and psychological
distress, making them more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.
The overall situation has reached alarming proportions also because women
have moved from the periphery to the epicentre of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in
sub-Saharan Africa. Averaging over 55% of all people living with HIV/AIDS,
girls and women are disproportionately affected. Meanwhile, constraints on
their access to education and treatment, coupled with their inability to
find paid employment, are causing rural households often headed by women to
slide further into poverty.
With AIDS-ravaged economies starting to crumble, urgent national
strategies are needed to strengthen governmental, community and family
capacities and to redouble international cooperation to reverse the tide of
this global calamity. “We’re all struggling to find a viable response, and
there are, of course, some superb projects and initiatives in all countries
but we can’t seem to take them to scale,” says Stephen Lewis, the UN
Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa. “In the mean time,
millions of children live traumatized, unstable lives, robbed not just of
their parents, but of their childhoods and futures.”
What is often overlooked is the ripple effect the epidemic will have on
future governance, social structures and growth of the worst hit countries
in sub-Saharan Africa. Dramatically high mortality rates will result in the
depletion of much of the labour force, both in urban and rural areas, with
the losses having a profound impact on the very foundations of economies and
state administration. Undoubtedly, sub-Saharan Africa is not alone in facing
this challenge – several countries in Asia are beginning to feel the early
impact of the “lost generation” of children orphaned and made vulnerable by
AIDS. With the toll of AIDS orphans threatening to reach 25 million by the
year 2010, this problem should remain at the centre of attention of all
concerned – governments, the public and the media -- to stem the spread of
this scourge.
For further information:
Mr. Nicholas Gouede, Communications Officer, UN Development Programme (UNDP)
Tel: (1 212) 906-6801;
E-mail:
nicholas.gouede@undp.org
Ms. Liza Barrie, Senior Communications Adviser, HIV/AIDS United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
Tel: (1 212) 326-7593;
E-mail:
lbarrie@unicef.org
Mr. Newton Kanhema, Information Officer, Development Section, UN Department of Public Information
Tel: (1 212) 963-5602, E-mail: kanhema@un.org
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