Regional meeting to help AIDS-orphans

The weeklong technical workshop attended by 22 countries that ended on Friday in Cote d'Ivoire underscored a high level awakening by West and Central Africa to the plight of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on children. Held in the capital, Yamoussoukro, the workshop provided a forum for exchange of information and sharing national experiences. The region's major obstacle is the lack of awareness and knowledge of the situation, Jean-Claude LeGrand, Regional Adviser for UNICEF, told IRIN. This conference, like others organised for Eastern and Southern Africa, marked a strategic change for organisations involved in fighting the disease. Previously the focus was placed on the medicinal approach but the new focus was based on protection encompassing a wide rage of activities to prevent and protect children as well as their relatives, LeGrand said. UNICEF Regional Director Rima Salah told the delegates that it was important for the region to build strong partnership with other organisations. She urged donors to support financially the region's efforts. Delegates pledged to expand national plans of action, conduct awareness campaigns to, among other things, de-stigmatise AIDS orphans and other affected children, increase collaboration with respective governments, and enhance local and international partnerships. According to UNICEF, 10.4 million children had lost at least one of their parents by the year 2001. The majority of them live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria accounts for more than 970,000 orphans, while in Cote d'Ivoire there are about 600,000. These figures are expected to double by the next decade. The loss of a parent, a traumatic experience that leaves children without any direct protection, needs to be mitigated by letting the children live with other relatives, USAID said in a cat sheet. The family remains a better option than placing the children in institutions such orphanages, it added. "Children benefit greatly from the care, personal attention and social relations that families and their communities can provide. Children raised in orphanages often have difficulties to integrate into society after becoming adult, and many of them are ill-equipped to cope", USAID said. Organised by UNICEF, USAID, Family Health International, UNAIDS and the International Save The Children Alliance, the closing ceremony was attended by the first ladies of Cote d'Ivoire, Benin, Nigeria and Senegal. Participants included Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Mauritania, and Republic of Congo.