Africa is a land that has been torn apart by war and disease. For over 40 years, this has resulted in international condemnation and sanctions, tribal conflict, racial hatred and the inevitable result is famine, disease and poverty for the general population.
In addition to this tragedy, the Aids pandemic has gripped the continent. No other place in the world has been more affected by the spread of HIV and Aids. As direct result of HIV and Aids, the population of sub-Saharan Africa is now declining. Parents are dying, leaving their children (often babies) to fend for themselves on the streets.
The spine-chilling statistics on African orphans estimate that there are 170,000 orphaned children in Mauritania, 710,000 in Mali, 800,000 in Niger, 600,000 in Chad, 1.7 million in Sudan, 280,000 in Eritrea, 48,000 in Djibouti, 4.8 million in Ethiopia, 630,000 in Somalia, 560,000 in Senegal, 710,000 in Burkina Faso, 370,000 in Benin, 64,000 in The Gambia, 100,000 in Guinea-Bissau and 370,000 in Guinea.
By looking at the staggering figures, two U.N. agencies have predicted that by 2010, there will be 53.1 million children under 18 bereft of their parents.
Children whose parents are living with HIV often experience many negative changes in their lives and can start to suffer neglect, including emotional neglect, long before they are orphaned. Eventually, they suffer the death of their parents and the emotional trauma that results.
Children grieving for dying or dead parents are often stigmatized by society through association with AIDS. The distress and social isolation experienced by these children, both before and after the death of their parents, is strongly exacerbated by the shame, fear, and rejection that often surrounds people affected by HIV and AIDS. Because of this stigma, children may be denied access to schooling and health care. This is as important as air to breathe in and is the only way to come out of the vicious cycle.
So is this a hopeless situation?
No, I guess tragic but not hopeless. At present, for those infected with HIV/AIDS all we can try to ensure is that they are loved and cared for, as they grow weaker.
Although, disseminating awareness about AIDS/HIV is a vital step but before this, diagnoses should be made and this would only be possible by voluntarily going amongst the people and making them realize about the fatal infection that is swallowing the innocents. And then the role of spreading awareness would be fruitful.
Off course, it won’t be a success without joint endeavor of national and international governments.
