Abstract : Communities with high rates of HIV infection are experiencing a rapid increase in the number of children being orphaned. An estimated 9 million children had lost their mother to AIDS by mid-1996, with more than 90% of affected children living in sub-Saharan African countries. The AIDS epidemic is also reducing the proportion of young adults in the population and the incomes in AIDS-affected households. Changes are therefore taking place in care-giving arrangements for affected children. An increasing proportion of orphans in several countries are now being cared for by the elderly and the very young, with some households headed by children as young as 10-12 years old. Few estimates, however, exist of the prevalence of child-headed households (CHHs). Two World Vision surveys in the Rakai district of Uganda found that 4% of households were headed by children aged 12-16 years and that 2% of orphans were living in households with a care giver who was 18 years old or less. Another survey in the district found that 97% of orphan households had an adult of 17 years or more living in the household. Once CHHs begin to appear in communities, their prevalence and proportion will likely increase as the AIDS epidemic generates orphans at an increasing rate. The causes of CHHs, problems associated with CHHs, coping and survival mechanisms, and the need for community-based support initiatives are discussed.
Notes : English
Web site : http://db.jhuccp.org/popinform/expert.html