80% of OVCs don’t receive external support - Prof Kelly
Written by Thuletu Tikili-Hanene
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 7:34:02 AM
PROFESSOR Father Michael Kelly says more than 80 per cent of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Zambia live in households that do not receive external support.
Professor Kelly, who is a well known OVC activist in Zambia, said when most would-be AIDS money beneficiaries were questioned on whether they had ever received any assistance from the numerous HIV/AIDS projects assisting both people living with HIV (PLHIV) and OVC, most said that the only thing they have ever received is the dust seen when their 4X4 pass by their homes.
In his keynote address at the International HIV/AIDS Alliance dubbed "Kwacha Tubombele Pamo Interactive National forum" held at the Cresta Golf View Hotel in Lusaka, Professor Kelly said there were 1,291,000 OVC in Zambia.
Quoting National AIDS Council figures, he said orphaning was more common among the more wealthy than among the poorest with 20 per cent of children in the wealthiest fifth of the population being orphans compared to 11 per cent in those in the poorest fifth.
Professor Father Kelly told the participants that not all orphans were vulnerable and that not all vulnerable children were orphans.
Professor Kelly said not all orphans were a result of AIDS, as over 25 per cent of OVC were a result of other reasons, such as non AIDS illness or deaths, extreme family poverty disability, abuse, abandonment, neglect, or family break up.
He called on the need to focus on policies and interventions on all children who were vulnerable and not only on those affected or infected by HIV and AIDS.
Professor Kelly said in 2006/2007, 84 per cent of OVC did not receive any form of external support.
Professor Kelly recommended that parents should be kept alive using interventions such as PMTCT or ART, with nutritional support.
He also said there was need to adopt policies that were known to work and improve the situation for OVC.
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