European Commission gives orphans a helping hand

As Lesotho's population of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) continues to swell on the back of one of the world's worst HIV/AIDS epidemics, a new initiative has been launched to cater to their increasingly desperate needs.

According to government figures, the number of OVC has nearly doubled, from 92,000 in 2003 to 180,000 in 2005, of which 100,000 were orphaned as a result of AIDS.

More recent statistics are not available, but by most accounts there are now more children without adult protection than ever before. "The numbers of orphans, due to AIDS, is expected to be growing," Aichatou Diawara-Flambert, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Lesotho Representative, told IRIN.

Forced to survive on their own or depend on elderly relatives, OVC are particularly vulnerable to abuse, violence and exploitation. In child-headed households many take on the role of caregiver by tending younger siblings. UN estimates have said that as much as 25 percent of Lesotho's children will be left to fend for themselves by 2010, of which four out of five will have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS.

Lesotho has the third highest HIV prevalence rate in the world - UNAIDS put the figure at 23.2 percent amoung the 15-49 age group- making the need for a national response all the more crucial.

"According to the most recent UNAIDS local estimates [based on the latest Lesotho Demographic Health Survey, HIV Sentinel Site Surveillance, Population data and programme data] it is expected that 29,000 people will be newly infected in 2007, bringing the number of people living with HIV to over 270,000, of which over 16,000 will be children," said Diawara-Flambert. Not only are 80 people newly infected every day, there are also 80 deaths per day.

About 15,000 children under the age of 15 are living with HIV in Lesotho. A large proportion of these have been infected by mother-to-child transmission (MTCT), and UNICEF estimates that each year 7,000 children become HIV infected in this manner. Government figures released this month indicate that of the 4,400 in need of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, only 1,160 HIV-positive children have access to the medication.

Considering these alarming figures, a new 11.3 million Euro (about US$15 million) donation by the European Commission (EC) to assist OVC has been very welcome. Diawara-Flambert hailed the donation as "a very critical injection to address the needs of at least 60,000 of the most vulnerable orphans."

"The grant comes at a time when the numbers of orphaned children in Lesotho are rapidly increasing, and the impact of orphaning threatens children's overall development and the social fabric of entire communities," said a UNICEF statement released this week.

Key players in the implementation of programmes funded by the grant will be the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Ministry of Education and Training, in close collaboration with UNICEF. "Children will be provided with basic supplies, assisted to access and utilise essential services - health, education, protection, care and support - and acquire HIV-prevention-related life skills and sufficient food and nutrition security," the statement said.

Peter Beck Christiansen, Ambassador/Head of the EC Delegation, said the money would go into projects that included psychosocial support, guidance and protection, provision of access to educational facilities and education on HIV prevention.

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