AEGiS-15IAC: A national model of integrated psychosocial support for orphans and vulnerable children.

15th International AIDS Conference

Bangkok, Thailand - July 11-16, 2004

A national model of integrated psychosocial support for orphans and vulnerable children.

Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. ThOrD1380)

Pope P, Steinitz LY
Family Health International, Windhoek, Namibia

ISSUES: As HIV and AIDS affects all aspects of the human condition, so does the vulnerability of children affected by this disease. As with a traditional three-legged pot, the ability of children to cope depends on a tri-partite focus on health-related, economic, and psychosocial issues. Too often, however, psychosocial issues are given the least attention - in part because people don't know what to do, or fear that they might say or do something that is counter-cultural or make things worse.

DESCRIPTION: This paper will describe Namibia's national model of orphan-support that integrates psychosocial issues at all levels, in both policy and practice. This came about through the genuine interplay between government and both non-governmental and faith-based organisations, in drafting a national policy, sharing information and training opportunities, and adopting a unified philosophy - as articulated in a nationally distributed manual - Building Resilience in Children Affected by HIV/AIDS. A national OVC Permanent Task Force co-ordinates youth-to-youth support programmes, school-based curricula, after-school club-programmes, weekend and holiday camps, and the training of volunteers as surrogate aunts and uncles. 2000+ trained volunteers reach in excess of 20,000 OVC.

LESSONS LEARNED: The proliferation of community-based programs has - with the knowledge and endorsement of government - led to a national movement of psychosocial support training and youth activities. Recommendation: The supportive environment that fosters good communication and exchange of materials and training opportunities has enabled consistent access to appropriate psychosocial support for OVC and has created the need to rapidly expand to address the increasing demand for psychosocial support.

Keywords: AEGIS, Foster Home Care, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Federal Government, HIV Infections, Organizations, Health Services Needs and Demand, Demography, HIV Seropositivity, Behavior, Family, Voluntary Workers, Namibia, Child, Humans, economics, education

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ThOrD1380