UNITE FOR CHILDREN UNITE AGAINST AIDS

October 5, 2007

My travel to the Western Province

My motivation to fight HIV and AIDS will never diminish, not until AIDS stops its devastation among our people. If anything, my need to assist and support HIV-positive children and women; and to prevent those who are negative of becoming infected has grown! I spend most of my time traveling around the country, meeting with children, young people and mothers. Some are HIV-positive, others are not. Early in October, I traveled to the West Province of Rwanda and visited orphans in the District of Rutsiro. The Rutsiro District counts 882 children orphaned by AIDS. Most of them are living in households headed by children while others live with grand-parents who sometimes cannot take care of the kids due to their advanced age.

The country of a thousand hills has marvelous scenery in the West province. Along the way, I see a chain of volcanoes, mountains everywhere. I can't take my eyes away from that landscape until I loose sight of the mountains. The warm welcome of the people living in this area brings back memories of past journeys and the children I want to meet.

During my visit, I meet with many child-headed household. One of these household is that of Nsengiyumva Sosthène, an 18 year-old girl who is now responsible for three children: Munyurangabo Vedaste who is 16, Dushimirimana Soleil who is 14 and 12 year-old Nyiransabimana.

Nyiransabimana is a lovely young girl who tells me about her goals and determination. She is a bright student and wants to become a teacher and help other children in school. Nyiransabimana lost both her parents to AIDS and is committed to prevent herself from becoming HIV-positive so that she can live longer and reach her goals. She explains to me how sad she was when her parents died. Nyiransabimana faces a lot of problems and hard times but the most challenging of these is education costs. She is very worried about the shift from primary school to secondary school which is next year and has cost implications. But she has hopes for life. As she talks to me, she looks at me smiling: I can read in her eyes that she is confident and has trust in life.

Before the support of UNICEF and its partners, these orphans were living in very bad conditions: typically in damaged houses with no food nor clothes. Unfortunately, their situation is not uncommon. In Rwanda there are about 1,264,000 orphans and 101,000 are living in child-headed households. AIDS is a heavy burden on children's lives. Some who have lost their parents to AIDS are HIV-positive themselves.

AIDS Orphans and other vulnerable children need your support to help them survive until they can take care of themselves. Many factors have contributed to their increased vulnerability including the Genocide, war and poverty. Most of those children live without adult supervision, without protection, and cannot attend school due to the lack of school materials and given their poverty within their community. Some get very discouraged by their conditions.

When AIDS enters a family, children suffer from discrimination because of misconceptions around HIV and AIDS within community members. In many cases, children don't receive appropriate care: they don't have access to health care and other basic services because they cannot afford the costs. It is very frightening to see the conditions in which they live. When I visit these children, as soon as I talk to them they open up for discussion. I think this shows the lack of opportunity they have to talk with adults, to anybody who can listen to them, show compassion and sympathize with their situation. They talk openly to me, they share their stories, show me what they have and what they cannot have but would like to have, they tell me about their ambitions and what they'd like to do when they grow up.

But it's not all bad either; there is some good work done and changes made. On my way back from Rutsiro District, I meet Labelgique Asiya, a 17 year-old girl who has joined a UNICEF-supported association for a project that fights HIV and AIDS through sport, literacy and culture. In 2003, Asiya's father died of AIDS and left her mother who was HIV-positive. Later on, her mother died too. Asiya was devastated by these events and ended up engaging in prostitution to make ends meet.

She was living on the street under very bad conditions: abused by her clients and exposed to all risks---including HIV. When she joined the Association of Young People and became involved with sport activities, she voluntarily tested for HIV and found out that she was HIV-free. She then started a professional training in hair care and is now employed, able to take care of herself. Before she found out her serological status, she was very scared. Being the last of her family, she suspected to have been infected either through birth or during the time she was a prostitute. But fortunately, she said, she HIV-negative.  

UNICEF has been working with the Government and other partners to support children and help restore hope in their lives, provide them with opportunities to pursue and achieve their basic education and give them the basic needs. These needs are enormous given the number of orphans and vulnerable children. Your contribution helps us provide support to those children as well as save lives. Let us talk and act! Your support and assistance make all the difference.