AFRO-NETS> Children Affected by AIDS (CABA)

[John Kiwanuka Ssemakula <jssemakula@medilinks.org>]

Children Affected by AIDS (CABA)
--------------------------------
 
Social welfare - integrating nutrition and feeding programs with edu-
cation and donor support programs
 
The recent famine that threatened 15 million people in Southern Af-
rica has been averted by delayed support from the international donor 
community, but the danger still remains. The famine in part was pre-
cipitated by HIV/AIDS in these countries, killing off farmers and im-
poverishing families. Those most affected were undoubtedly CABA, be-
cause they have the least amount of community support networks.
 
At the same time according to the World Bank World Bank disease epi-
demiologist Don Bundy - HIV/AIDS is killing teachers faster than they 
can be trained, makes orphans of students and threatens to derail ef-
forts by highly infected countries to get all boys and girls into 
primary school. And yet a good basic education ranks among the most 
effective and cost-effective means of preventing HIV.
 
But a hungry child cannot learn or study. Hunger weakens the body, 
and the immunity, thereby making the child more susceptible to dis-
ease.
 
I propose that one solution to keeping children in school is to have 
some kind of school feeding programs. This would ensure that the 
children would get at least one nutritious meal a day and act as in-
centive for children to be in school. Such a program aimed at all 
children (especially CABA) would also mean that these children spend 
time in school for part of the day, a considerably safer environment 
than being on the street.
 
Given the pressures that African governments are under, from AIDS, 
famine and other problems, it will no be easy. But the international 
community has shown that it can mobilize food aid in an emergency. It 
would be even better for the long term development of these African 
nations if the governments, especially the Ministry of Education co-
ordinated with organizations such as the World Food Program to create 
such school food programs. These are already considered a norm in de-
veloped countries for the poor.
 
While it is only a partial solution, it will serve as a beginning for 
introducing welfare programs to help the poorest of the poor.
 
It is often said a nation is judged by how the care for their chil-
dren. This would be a sign of the commitment of governments to deal-
ing with the problem of CABA.
 
John Kiwanuka Ssemakula (MD, MPH)
mailto:jkiwanuka@aaionline.org 
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