HIV

Orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV

Some 15 million children have already lost one or both parents to AIDS. Estimates state that the number of orphans will continue to increase until 2020 or 2030 and reach 25 million by the end of the decade.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies works on the following principles when working with Orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV:

• participation of children and young people as part of the solution
• community-base care
• non-discrimination
• awareness of the needs of children at special risk
• collaboration and partnerships

• The American Red Cross is providing basic school and recreational supplies as part of their School Chest programme to enable orphans and vulnerable children attend school.
• Homeless young people in the Ivory Coast - newly trained as Red Cross peer educators, run dance, music and art programmes to spread awareness of HIV to orphans and vulnerable children.
• The Zimbabwe Red Cross established a memory project which aims to provide orphans and vulnerable children with information about their parents in the form of photos, drawings and special family memories. Parents and children work on the project together with the aim of helping children who are facing loss or separation from a parent to understand the past and feel more secure about their future so that the children keep a sense of identity and belonging beyond the death of their parents.

Publications

• Orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS - Principles and operational guidelines for programming, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 2002