Abstract : If programs need to target the much broader vulnerable children population and not just orphans, why then does the Children on the Brink series present estimates of orphaning? While not all orphaning is due to HIV/AIDS, orphaning remains the most visible, extensive, and measurable impact of AIDS on children. To date, no methodology is available for estimating the number of other children made vulnerable by AIDS. Orphans are not only of great concern, their presence reflects a much larger set of problems faced by children. The large majority of orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS live with a surviving parent and siblings or within their extended family, and the overwhelming thrust of an effective response must be to give direct substantial support to the millions of families who continue to absorb children who have lost parents. After losing parents and caregivers, children have an even greater need for stability, care, and protection. Family capacity - whether the head of household is a widowed parent, an elderly grandparent, or a young person - represents the single most important factor in building a protective environment for children who have lost their parents to AIDS and other causes. There is also an urgent need to develop and scale up family- and community-based care opportunities for the small but highly vulnerable proportion of boys and girls who are living outside of family care. (excerpt)
Notes : English
Web site : http://www.unicef.org/publications/index_22212.html; http://www.unicef.org/publications/files/cob_layout6-013.pdf