Children orphaned by AIDS may need someone to provide a home for them. This should be in their own community if possible. Babies and toddlers need extra love, attention and stimulation to encourage them to develop. If their parents were sick they may have had little attention. Check they have been immunised and have had regular health checks. If they have HIV, they will need nutritious food and extra care during illness.
Help school-aged children to make a memory book or box. Encourage them to collect photos, letters, certificates and drawings that remind them of happy times with their parents. Later, this can help children remember positive things about their parents.
It may be difficult for orphans, particularly girls, to attend school. However, education is important for their future. Some organisations provide money to help children attend school. Orphans may need people to help them with homework or to talk about problems they have at school.
Caring adults should make sure that orphans are treated well. Often these children are forced to work very hard or to have sex with adults, which is wrong and should be prevented.
Discussion
- Why is it important for children who have lost their parents to remain in their own community?
- Grandparents often become carers. What particular help might they need?
- It is important to send children living with HIV to school. Why might this be?
- Why is it really important for brothers and sisters to remain together? How can the community encourage this?
- What should children be told when a parent is dying? How can they be supported before, during and after the funeral?
- What should happen to children if they have no families able to care for them when their parents die?
- Children learn a great deal from observing the behaviour of family members. Who will provide good examples of behaviour for them to learn from as they grow up?
- Why are children who have lost their parents more likely to suffer from unfair treatment, overwork or sexual abuse? How can caring adults help?
- Orphans may lose their rights to money, property or land from their parents because of traditional practices of inheritance. Can anything be done to protect them from this loss?
- Why is it so important for orphans to do well at school and find meaningful work?
- Many older children become responsible for their households when their parents die. Networking children in similar situations into groups may really help them. How could this be done? Are there people who could meet with such groups and help support them?
Go to H19