[afro-nets] FHI Initiative to Reduce Orphaning and Provide ART to More Families

["David Hock" <DHock@fhi.org>]

Bold New Initiative to Reduce Orphaning in HIV-Affected Communities and Reclaim Generation Lost

Plan will triple delivery of treatment to HIV-positive children and prolong parents' health so fewer children are orphaned

Research Triangle Park, NC (Sept. 27, 2007) ― At a time when only 15 percent of all children globally who need antiretroviral treatment (ART) have access to it, Family Health International (FHI) is launching a bold new HIV initiative to improve the lives of children and families affected by HIV/AIDS.

The comprehensive program, announced today at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, will provide ART, the lifesaving HIV/AIDS drug regimen, to 20,000 additional children and their families in 10 countries. Families enrolled in the program will also gain access to a safety net of other essential services, skills and opportunities that will improve their living situation and reduce the likelihood of their children becoming AIDS orphans. This holistic response recognizes the tragic link between HIV among children and the growing orphan crisis.

"We are failing the world's children," says Albert Siemens, chief executive officer of FHI, which operates research and public health programs in about 70 developing countries. "HIV-related orphaning is creating a desperate situation where, in many cases, children are caring for children. This is a massive tragedy."

Indeed, one quarter to one third of untreated HIV-infected children die before their first birthday, half or more by their second birthday, and four-fifths by age five, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). By the year 2010, the number of children orphaned by AIDS is expected to more than double to 25 million or more globally - equal to the number of people who have died of AIDS since HIV was first recognized 25 years ago.

"This initiative has the potential to profoundly change the lives of children and families in developing countries. By addressing the complex needs of HIV-positive children and HIV-affected families, this initiative can help reclaim a generation lost to AIDS," says Deepak Verma, chief executive officer of the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative, which has been assisting countries in implementing large-scale, integrated care, treatment and prevention programs since 2002. The Foundation partners with governments in more than 25 countries and provides limited support to an additional 12 countries to assist their pediatric care and treatment capacity, in Africa, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and Asia by providing technical assistance, mobilizing human and financial resources and facilitating the sharing of best practices.

This new initiative builds upon FHI's HIV treatment successes and is further shaped by two FHI projects that address the complexities of orphaning. The first program, Nuru Ya Jamii ("Light of the Family" in Swahili), has prevented hundreds of Kenya children from becoming orphaned. The second, LifeWorks, an East African regional project, is addressing the root causes of illness, such as poverty and joblessness. By rapidly expanding the core elements of these programs, we not only extend life, but increase a community's vitality.

"We envision a world where every child has a healthy family and a place to call home. The challenge is great and we must all work together to make it a reality," Siemens says.

The non-profit FHI has been at the forefront of public health research, prevention, care and treatment in the developing world since 1971. FHI delivers services and conducts research in HIV/AIDS, other infectious diseases and reproductive health to improve the lives and well-being of some of the world's most vulnerable people. 

For more information, contact media@fhi.org.

Family Health International, P.O. Box 13950, Research Triangle Park, NC  27709  USA  
http://www.fhi.org/

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David Hock
mailto:DHock@fhi.org