Search
  1. Home
  2. East Africa
  3. Kenya

Free education for AIDS orphans

    JOHANNESBURG

    Kenya's latest education plan will provide opportunities for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS, a senior UN official said on Friday.

    The UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, Stephen Lewis, said Kenya's decision to abolish school fees for primary school children should be adopted across Africa.

    "Why should such vast numbers of children, who have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS, be denied the right to go to school and the prospect of a future?" Lewis said in a statement.

    He said new school enrolments had increased by 20 percent within one week after fees were eliminated, and further gains were expected.

    "If the experience of Kenya proves anything, it proves that those who have argued for the abolition of fees as a way of liberating the lives of millions of children, were right," Lewis added.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join