World AIDS Day: five million grandparents looking after orphans in Africa
29 November 2001

The world's largest humanitarian network today said that in Africa alone at least five million grandparents have gone back to being parents as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic which has seen 12 million children losing one or both parents.

"The psychological strain of caring for terminally ill children and coping with their death can be devastating. The stress of taking on the burden of responsibility for orphaned grandchildren is also huge. It is not unusual for grandmothers to be caring for 20 children," said Jennifer Inger, social welfare expert with the Health and Care Department of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Psychological and material support is vital for elderly caregivers, said the International Federation in a statement to mark World AIDS Day.

Families and communities are on the front-line of the fight against HIV/AIDS and it is essential that older people are educated about prevention and are given access to health services in order that they may remain healthy whilst at the same caring for their dying children and their orphaned grandchildren.

The problem is now so acute that a Red Cross Red Crescent Working Group on Children Made Vulnerable by HIV/AIDS has been established to draw up operational guidelines for programmes which keep children in the community and out of institutions, and to provide support and recognition for the vital role played by elderly care-givers.

Inger cites in particular the Zimbabwe Red Cross as a good example of an integrated approach to care in the community. Zimbabwe Red Cross volunteers not only attend to the needs of dying AIDS patients but establish a relationship with the whole family to ensure that there is adequate support, whether surviving children are looked after by grandparents, or the children themselves become heads of household.

"Often the community will allocate a field whose produce will go towards helping those families left without a breadwinner or to support elderly looking after orphaned grandchildren. Similarly, in Malawi, Red Cross community gardens help to avoid these children and their elderly carers becoming trapped in poverty. Local solutions are essential to tackle this problem," said Inger.

For further information, or to set up interviews, please contact:

Denis McClean, Head, Media Service Tel.: +41 22 730 4428/ + 41 79 217 3357

Christopher Black, Information officer Tel.: +41 22 730 4377/ + 41 79 416 3881

The Geneva-based International Federation promotes the humanitarian activities of 181 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies among vulnerable people. By coordinating international disaster relief and encouraging development support, it seeks to prevent and alleviate human suffering. The Federation, National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross together, constitute the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.