CCIH 2012 Conference Breakout 1, Dick Stellway, School and Community Partnerships to Protect Orphans and Vulnerable Children

School and CommunityPartnerships:Essential components in a strategyto promote healthy values and behaviorsin the context of HIV and AIDS OVC Panel Presentation CCIH 2012 Annual Conference June 8-10, Marymount Univ., Arlington, VA

HIV and AIDS: A Quick Look UNAIDS, 2010

HIV & AIDS Concentration: Of the 34million PLWHA 2.7 million became newly infected in 2010 (UNAIDS, UNICEF, WHO 2011 estimate) Over 16 million children have been orphaned by AIDS (UNAIDS, 2010) Youth between 15 and 24 are particularly vulnerable Young people who have AIDS contracted the disease between 5 to 7 years earlier, some as young as 13. (Michael J. Kelly, Education: For an Africa Without AIDS, 2008) Young women are highly vulnerable - In the 15- 24 age group in Kenya, women are four times more likely to contract HIV. (UNGASS 2010 Country Report – Kenya)

Up to a third of children havebeen orphaned by AIDS in someareas

Young girls are especially vulnerable ―Kenyan women between 15 and 24 experience high rates of violentsexual contact, which is thought to contribute to the higher prevalenceof HIV. In a 2003 nationwide survey, almost half of women reportedhaving experienced violence and a quarter of women aged between12 and 24 had lost their virginity by force(·UNGASS (2008) ‗Country report – Kenya‘Kenya Office of the President, Ministry of Special Programmes)

Call for a concerted response UNAIDS, UNICEF and other international organizations have called for a coordinated response to address the AIDS pandemic. In highly infected areas it is vital that schools and communities pull together to address the pandemic. Far too often schools and communities move on parallel tracks and frequently move in opposite directions—with disastrous consequences.

Mutually enabling partnerships canoccur – but will require that certaincritical issues be addressed and actedupon.1. Speaking with one voice: Valid and consistent information for prevention2. Protecting our future: Protecting our children and youth3. Accepting, supporting and caring for people affected and infected by HIV and AIDS

Speaking with one voice:Some Critical Questions for Schools What are children and young people actually being taught at school about the nature of HIV and AIDS and how it is transmitted? Do teachers and school administrators have the support of parents for teaching about HIV and AIDS. Do teachers, and school children have accurate information about the perceptions and practices that put students at risk of contracting the disease? What more do schools need to do to combat the spread of HIV and AIDS among students. What more can schools do to help strengthen the fight against HIV and AIDS in the community? What resources could be employed to assist schools with this task?

Speaking with one voice: SomeCritical Questions for CommunitiesWhat messages concerning HIV and AIDS areconveyed to children and youth byparents, peers, elders and others in the community?What messages concerning sexuality andappropriate sexual behavior are being conveyed byparents, peers, and other members of thecommunity?Do these messages support what schools areteaching about the disease and how it is transmitted?Which of these various messages, in the diversesources, put children and youth ―at risk‖ of contactingHIV and AIDS?What are boys learning about what it takes to be a―real man?‖ Are they being taught to be protectors orsexually exploiters of women?

Preserving our future: Protecting our children and youthSchool-Related Violence and Sexual Abuse in SouthAfricaSouth African girls continue to be raped, sexuallyabused, sexually harassed, and assaulted at schoolby male classmates and teachers.For many South African girls, violence and abuseare an inevitable part of the school environment.Thirty-three percent of South African women rapedbefore age 15 were attacked by teachers, another 21percent by relatives, and a similar number bystrangers or acquaintances. (George, Finberg, andThonden, Scared at School; Jewkes, ”Rape of Girls in South Africa,” p.29 (cited in Kelly, 2008, p. 29)

Protecting our Children and Youth:Some Critical QuestionsWhat conditions in the school or community putchildren and youth at risk of contracting HIV?Are students or house girls and boys sexuallyharassed or abused --on the way to school? --by teachers? --by fellow students? --by family members or workers?What does (1) the school and (2) the communityhave to do to remedy the problem? How can theywork together?

Critical Questions, cont.Would controlling the access of young peoplein the community to alcohol reduce theirvulnerability to HIV infection and, if so, how canthis best be done?What life skills could be taught to help childrenand youth deal with coercion or peer pressureand how to deal with or avoid dangeroussituations?Are there people who can be trusted to takecorrective action if and when children and youthreport sexual harassment? Who are thesepeople and what corrective action should they

Accepting, supporting and caring forpeople affected and infected by HIV andAIDSNegative effects of HIV and AIDS on learners Numerically they become fewer - Financially they become less able to remain ineducation Psychologically, less able to learn; may not even wantto be educated. Socially, many are orphans, some heading householdsNegative effects of HIV and AIDS on educators Death are numerous Frequent and progressive and extended bouts ofsickness prevent proper functioning Sickness in their family Low morale in institution (due to death, illness andabsence)

Accepting, Supporting and Caring:Critical Questions for Examination andActionWhat children in your community are impacted bythe AIDS pandemic?What problems are they facing? (It may benecessary to talk to the children.)How are these problems affecting their ability toattend school and their school performance?In what ways can the community help thesechildren?In what ways can the school help these children?Are there school teachers and other staff memberswho are infected or come from AIDS infectedfamilies?How can the school and community assist familiesaffected by HIV and AIDS?

A New and Promising Partnership

Lessons from a successfulpartnership initiativeThe following principles are important for initiating an effective partnership:1. Transforming relationships. Dealing with such a sensitive and secretive pandemic requires a deep level of trust2. Transforming individuals’ values and attitudes. The Principal (catalyst) worked on either affirming positive attitudes or building them in all the individuals concerned.3. Increasing knowledge and eliminating ignorance and fear. Taking part in departmental training programmes and spreading the message around the community4. Building structures and networks. A committee to focus on planning and implementing the plans.5. Sustaining the support. Constantly finding new ways of supporting families. (A community garden, providing home based care, etc.)_______________Lawrence, Lorraine. (2006). ―Transformation in a South African Township: How a local school and community came together to address HIV and AIDS‖ in Commonwealth Youth and Development. Vol. 4 No.1 2006, pp. 32-40.

The Prize: A Big Step Forwardto promote values and behaviors thatpreserve and protect the health and welfareof children, their school and their community

CCIH 2012 Conference Breakout 1, Dick Stellway, School and Community Partnerships to Protect Orphans and Vulnerable Children

by Christian Connections for International Health on Jul 04, 2012

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CCIH 2012 Conference Breakout 1, Dick Stellway, School and Community Partnerships to Protect Orphans and Vulnerable Children Presentation Transcript