The document discusses caring for orphans and vulnerable children in Uasin Gishu District, Kenya. It finds that 40,700 people in the district are infected with HIV, leading to many parental deaths and leaving children without caregivers. As a result, many children drop out of school to take care of sick family members or work to support the family. The Kenya Red Cross Society recommends ensuring access to education, health services, and income opportunities to help vulnerable children and reduce the impacts of HIV/AIDS.

1. The truth about AIDS. Pass it on…
Kenya Red Cross Society
CARING FOR ORPHANS AND
VULNERABLE CHILDREN
Presented by:
David Musombi
Kenya Red Cross Society
Uasin Gishu Branch

2. The truth about AIDS. Pass it on…
Kenya Red Cross Society
HIV/AIDS IN UASIN GISHU DISTRICT
 Uasin Gishu District - North Rift region of
Kenya.
 Area of 3,328 km2
 Estimated population 62,2705.
 40,700 people are infected with the HIV virus
 Prevalence 13%
 Rural prevalence 26,583, urban prevalence
14,117.
 The rural urban prevalence is 0.7

3. The truth about AIDS. Pass it on…
Kenya Red Cross Society
Back Ground Information
 It is beyond imagination what
happens to children in communities
affected by HIV/AIDS.
 Often parents become ill and die
leaving children as caretakers. In
some cases children become heads
of households and drop out of school.

4. The truth about AIDS. Pass it on…
Kenya Red Cross Society
Back Ground Information Cont’d
 The number of HIV and AIDS
orphans was projected to exceed 1.5
Million by the year 2005
 Extended families in Kenya have
traditionally fostered orphaned
children where as the growing
number of these children has already
overwhelmed the traditional care
structure in the country

5. The truth about AIDS. Pass it on…
Kenya Red Cross Society
Key Findings
 Parents infected with the virus die
leaving their children alone
 Children drop out of school to look
after their siblings and or very sick
parents or to do household work or
work in the field to increase the family
income.

6. The truth about AIDS. Pass it on…
Kenya Red Cross Society
Key Findings cont’d
 Children also drop out of school if
their parents and / or caretakers can
not afford school fees and thus end
up joining the other thousands of the
unskilled labour force
 Many families have now had to
accept to bring up more numbers of
children than they planned for hence
stretching family resources

7. The truth about AIDS. Pass it on…
Kenya Red Cross Society
Lessons learnt
 To avoid a situation where many
children have to choose between
continuing their education and
dropping out of school in support
families, there has to be programs
that enable the children to be
adopted by foster parents who are
able to provide for them for it was not
their wish to be orphans.

8. The truth about AIDS. Pass it on…
Kenya Red Cross Society
Lessons learnt Cont’d
 Although making caring for orphans and
vulnerable children may be difficult, we can
try to make it operational in order to reduce
vulnerability rate and increase capacity
building. These can be done by preventing
-Suffering, Alleviating suffering and
improving the capacity of the children who
live constantly in situations where their
socio- economic security and their dignity
are threatened i.e. structural vulnerability

9. The truth about AIDS. Pass it on…
Kenya Red Cross Society
Recommendations
 Ensuring health services and
infrastructure to assist the OVCs
 Helping OVC to start income
generating activities to sustain them
 Strengthening the OVC through
provision of education up to and
including tertiary level

10. The truth about AIDS. Pass it on…
Kenya Red Cross Society
Recommendations Cont’d
 Improving social, physical and
psychological well being of persons
living with HIV and AIDS through
strengthened social and legal status
of PLWHAs and through
dissemination of positive information

11. The truth about AIDS. Pass it on…
Kenya Red Cross Society
Recommendations Cont’d
 On the other hand being responsive to
local vulnerability and capacity will help
develop intimate knowledge of local reality
on matters relating to vulnerability and
caring of the same.
 Developing understanding of fundamental
principals of the OVC as basis for action.
Raising community awareness and public
education will also make the community
appreciate and care for the children.