Support of children urged in AIDS fight

Kenyan First Lady Lucy Kibaki has called for the greater involvement of adults in protecting African children from the impact of HIV/AIDS and sexual violence. Speaking during the launch of the Kenya chapter of the Organisation of African First Ladies' continental campaign against AIDS in the capital Nairobi on Monday, Kibaki said community support was a safety-net for all children left vulnerable to abuse after losing one or both parents to the pandemic. "This is a unique campaign, as it focuses on sensitising adults on their responsibility to protect children from HIV infection," a local newspaper, The Nation, quoted Kibaki as saying. Kibaki noted that of the 3.1 million people who died of AIDS globally this year, over half a million were children aged below 15 years.