UNITE FOR CHILDREN UNITE AGAINST AIDS

May 1, 2008

Counseling for families affected by HIV/AIDS

There are so many issues that are affecting our children in Jamaica. HIV is just one of the many things in our society that children have to learn to understand and, ultimately, deal with. This becomes even more burdensome when that child’s family is directly affected by the virus, either by having an infected family member or by being infected him or herself.

A few weeks ago, I was invited to attend a support group meeting of HIV-positive mothers. Some of these women had children who were infected through mother-to-child-transmission. Through the discussions we had, I found that many HIV-positive children were not aware of their mother’s status; in some cases, their own status remained unknown to them as their mothers had difficulties telling them.

It is evident that counseling as well as skill-building for families affected by HIV must take on new dimensions in order to focus much needed attention on the development of children affected by the epidemic. While we have made many positive strides, especially in the area of provision of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for those who are infected, Jamaica still has a far way to go in meeting the needs of children affected by the epidemic.

UNICEF has been working with its partners to expand access to counseling services and address the underlying poverty that is common among so many affected families. Additionally, as was echoed by the women I met, we must also improve parenting skills and improve their ability to disclose their status to their families, make their children more resilient and equip the families with skills to better protect affected children.

The support of our donors is a key element in meeting these needs. With your continued commitment and efforts we will be able to make positive changes one child at a time.