Vulnerable Children in South Africa See a New Light of Hope

Talk of HIV/AIDS in South Africa is nothing new, nor is the scale at which it affects children in the country, where the epidemic is one of the worst in the world. According to the, 'the Demographic Impact of HIV/AIDS in South Africa – National and Provincial Indicators for 2006′ report,estimates that almost half of all deaths, and 71% of deaths among those aged between 15 and 49, are caused by AIDS; leaving half of 15 year old in the country unable to reach the age of 60. According to the National HIV and Syphilis Antenatal Sero-prevalence Survey,conducted by the Department of Health between 2002-2006, there were around 260,000 children below the age of 15 living with HIV.

Sadly children who are infected with the disease are not the only ones who suffer from its sweeping effects. Even more children suffer the loss of their parents and family members from AIDS. UNAIDS estimated that there were 1.2 million South African children orphaned by AIDS in 2005, compared to 780,000 in 2003. This number is only expected to climb in the next few years as the wrath of the virus still has yet to be completely felt. Those orphaned by AIDS are more susceptible to poverty, poor health and a lack of access to education. These children form a lost generation of parent-less children, which then only adds to the strain of the social services and healthcare systems, which is already burdensome under the heavy strain of the ever growing epidemic.

Thus the epidemic in South Africa effects the lives of children in many ways including the obvious, and the not so apparent, such as the impact it has on children's education. The impact becomes more clear in the UNAIDS 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic, where in Chapter 4: The impact of AIDS on people and societies, it is noted that 21% of teachers in in the country were living with HIV, and thus resulting in less teachers.

As the epidemic continues to soar many have begun to search for alternative therapies and ways of dealing with the disease. In a recent article, Chakras and children, the use of alternative therapy programs, such as energy therapy, where being used to identify and work with vulnerable children. While many debate the validity of such programs, one thing is clear…the children of South Africa need to see a new light of hope at the end of the long and dark tunnel of HIV/AIDS.

For more information on HIV/AIDS in South Africa and it's reach on children please see Our world
AIDS and childhood in southern Africa, June 2007