Number of AIDS orphans on the rise

Babita Biswakarma has already been through enough trauma for anyone to suffer in a lifetime. She is just seven years old. First she lost both her parents to AIDS. Then she went through over a year of mental cruelty at the hands of villagers who rejected her, calling her the 'AIDS girl'. Her uncle then made her work as a servant in her own home after she was stripped off all her rights to her parent's property and estate. She was kicked out of school when her relatives stopped paying her fees, assuming she was HIV positive and had only months to live. Fortunately she was helped by a local social worker in her village in Achham, one of the poorest hill districts in West Nepal, 450 km northwest of the capital, Kathmandu. She was eventually brought to the capital and sheltered at the House of Rest, a local NGO providing care and support to orphans and underprivileged children. Babita's story is not unusual. Many children like her have lost one or both their parents to HIV/AIDS as the disease become more prevalent in the mountain kingdom. According to a joint report by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) it is estimated that there are at least 13,000 orphans as result of the HIV virus in Nepal. The social stigma the children suffer starts from the day it becomes known the parents are HIV positive and continues even after their death. They face discrimination both at the hands of adults and other children in both their villages and schools. "Society looks down on them. They are tagged with names and the level of discrimination against them is really high," Noriko Izumi, project officer from the education and child protection section of UNICEF Nepal, told IRIN. "It's a very serious problem for these children. They become traumatised at many levels," explained Kalu Singh Karki, HIV/AIDS officer for Save the Children (Norway). Karki has been working in the Achham district where he saw how AIDS orphans were the victims of severe discrimination from the local community. He estimated that there are around 220 orphans in twelve villages of the district. UNAIDS estimates at least 10 percent of the 2 - 3 million Nepalese migrants working in India are HIV positive. These men are now infecting spouses and others in many parts of the country. The situation is made even worse by the inability of women to negotiate safe sex. Human trafficking is also responsible for spreading the infection. Only a few NGOs are helping to provide shelter and sponsor the education of orphans. The number of such children is increasing every year. According to UNAIDS, around 56,000 Nepalis are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS. UNICEF, UNAIDS and USAID estimate that annual deaths from AIDS have increased from 3,000 four years ago to more than 6,000 in 2005. In the absence of effective care and treatment, between 10,000 and 15,000 are expected to die annually. "When the number of adults dying due to AIDS begins to increase, children will be without parental care and will be deprived of many basic rights such as shelter, food, health, education and love and affection," said the UNICEF assessment report, 'The Increasing Vulnerability of Children in Nepal'. There are currently about 150 orphanages, transit homes and rehabilitation centres, mostly run by NGOs, private individuals or religious bodies. Even so, only a small number of children orphaned because of AIDS are receiving any assistance. Though these facilities help children in difficulties, activists hope to avoid sending them to live in homes because they believe this will lead to institutionalisation and it isn’t the best way forward. "Community based care is the best option for the children. The main challenge is to change the social attitude of the local community where the children live," explained Karki, pointing out that Save the Children (Norway) had already initiated a care and support program in Achham district. The organisation works closely with a group of Social Volunteers Against AIDS (SOVAA) aiming to reduce the stigma suffered by people living with HIV/AIDS. It also works with the local community and District Education Office to provide free schooling, books and clothes as well as mobilising villagers to give moral and financial support to the orphans. "We have to seriously think about how to take care of such a highly vulnerable group of children. What they need most is both affection and education," explained Prema Regmi from ABC Nepal, one of the few NGOs that is helping the AIDS orphans. Activists are demanding that there should be a national policy and nationwide advocacy on the issue. "We cannot only think of temporary means of support," added Regmi. Since 1988, the HIV/AIDS campaign in Nepal has focused mostly on prevention and awareness. Little attention has been given to the care and support of persons living with HIVAIDS, especially those orphaned by the disease. "The orphans do not still appear in the agenda of many donor agencies. There is absolutely no funds for care and support," said Biswo Khadka from Maiti Nepal, one of the few NGOs that provides care and support to substantial numbers of orphans. "Their numbers are growing. The support we give is just a drop in the ocean," added Khadka. UNICEF is also working closely with local communities to change social perceptions and offer training in life skills-based education programs. "The children orphaned from AIDS need protection and care. This is possible only by making the community sensitive and aware to combat the social stigma and prejudice against the innocent children," explained Izumi from UNICEF. In 2004, a global framework was prepared by UNICEF, UNAIDS and USAID for the protection, care and support of orphans and vulnerable children in a world learning to live with HIV and AIDS. The document is targeted at senior leaders and decision-makers around the world who can influence policies, programmes and resources directed at orphans and vulnerable children. Globally, UNAIDS estimates there are at least 15 million children under 18 who have lost their parents to AIDS.