UNITE FOR CHILDREN UNITE AGAINST AIDS

September 1, 2008

Children are the missing face of the HIV epidemic

Children are the missing face of the HIV epidemic. UNICEF, through its Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS initiative, has been underscoring this point and has heightened awareness about how the epidemic has been affecting children.
 
Those of us who are here on the ground, interfacing everyday with the sometimes painful realities of living with HIV have seen firsthand how devastating its effects are on the younger members of societies around the world.

Much of the devastation is brought on by the fact that most of the available services are geared towards adults, and children’s needs are neither recognized nor catered to by the health and social service professionals. 

Here in Jamaica, we aim to put a stop to this.  UNICEF and the Ministry of Health have noted that some categories of health care and social workers are not well equipped to deliver services to children.  Consequently, our two organizations have partnered to train 200 staff of public sector agencies and staff of non-governmental agencies that interface with children infected and affected by HIV.

This training is expected to have an impact on at least 3,000 affected families over the next year.  The training will include strategies to make services more child-friendly. It will also give participants an in-depth look at the psychosocial effects of HIV on children and look into the service provider’s obligations under Jamaica’s child protection laws.   

Our partners rely on the funds that are generously provided by UNICEF’s donors to address gaps like these in the response to the epidemic.  Without your support, we are unable to ensure quality and age appropriate services for the children who are often forgotten in efforts to stop the spread of HIV and mitigate its impact.