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Mexico XVII - Communication

Communication perspectives - Mexico XVII AIDS Conference
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Child-Centred Approaches to HIV/AIDS (CCATH) – Kenya and Uganda

Country

Kenya, Uganda

Region

Global, Africa

Programme Summary

Child-Centred Approaches to HIV/AIDS (CCATH) project in Kenya and Uganda aims to develop and strengthen 'community coping strategies' to support children and young people in communities affected by HIV/AIDS. The project partners work with community-based organisations (CBOs) to learn from their experiences and to support them in assessing needs and in identifying, developing, and evaluating practical responses to help children and their families cope with the impact of HIV/AIDS.

The CCATH project is coordinated by a group of NGO partners in Kenya, Uganda and the UK. They are Kenya AIDS NGO Consortium (KANCO), AIDS Care, Education and Training, Uganda (ACET), Child-to-Child Uganda, National Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS, Uganda (NACWOLA), and Healthlink Worldwide and the Child-to-Child Trust in the UK.

Communication Strategies

The project began with an assessment of the needs of children, their families, and CBOs in communities affected by HIV/AIDS. This research was conducted in Kenya and Uganda, introducing child-centred participatory research methods, to help adult researchers to listen to and learn from children. The research revealed a range of risks to children's development in these communities. It showed how deeply children are affected – psychologically, economically, and socially – by the impact of HIV/AIDS on their lives.


The programme aims to strengthen children's resilience and to address the issue of their life situation. This includes the emotional, social, and practical support they receive in their immediate surroundings from family, peer groups, and neighbours. It also includes support from CBOS, faith-based organisations (FBOs), schools, and health services, which organisers believe need to be accessible and welcoming to children.


The CCATH works to support children and communities trying to cope with the impact of HIV/AIDS. Here is a summary of how some of the partners are proceeding:

  • ACET promotes life skills-based education to develop children's communication and coping skills.
  • ACET also facilitates seminars for children and parents to promote open communication and mutual understanding.
  • Child-to-Child Uganda works in primary schools to promote the principle of children helping and supporting each other. Children have formed clubs where they share problems and work together to find solutions. They also learn to communicate their emotions and fears and to develop empathy for each other. Child-to-Child's strategy involves trying to give children a sense of self-esteem - they are able to contribute to others' well-being. In some cases, children are 'twinned', that is, they are paired up for mutual support.
  • NACWOLA has pioneered work in supporting women and children to cope with illness and bereavement in the family. They have introduced the idea of a Memory Book, in which parents living with HIV record their own and their children's past lives, celebrating good, loving memories. The Memory Book is also designed to help parents and children prepare for bereavement and make concrete plans for the future.
  • NACWOLA has also established children's clubs where they learn about health, child development, and basic survival. Children can share their emotional and psychological problems with adults at these clubs. They can also get access to training and small grants for income-generating activities, such as the rearing of goats.
  • KANCO supports CBOs in developing their capacities for working effectively with children through participatory processes. KANCO also operates at the national and international level, influencing policy development in relation to children and HIV/AIDS. The organisation participated in the drafting of a children's bill in Kenya.

Development Issues

HIV/AIDS, Children.

Key Points

The project focusses on 5 main areas:

  • enabling older children to strengthen their coping skills and resilience for their own survival and continued development through the illness or loss of a parent
  • supporting older children and parents/guardians in providing appropriate care for their younger siblings and at the same time providing them with emotional support and enjoyment through activities which are creative and rewarding for both older and younger children
  • addressing the 'culture of silence' surrounding HIV/AIDS, especially how the subject of HIV/AIDS is discussed with, and by, children and young people
  • promoting the social inclusion of children affected and infected by HIV/AIDS and tackling discrimination
  • enabling families to develop coping strategies for managing the severe economic impact of HIV/AIDS, including issues surrounding planning for the future after the death of a parent, inheritance, sexual or labour exploitation, income generation, and continuing access to education.

Partners

KANCO, ACET, Child-to-Child Uganda, NACWOLA, Healthlink Worldwide, the Child-to-Child Trust in the UK.

Partners

Healthlink Worldwide

Contact

Bernard Trude
Executive Director, Healthlink Worldwide
56 - 64 Leonard Street
London
EC2A 4JX
Tel.: 020 7549 0240 / 0265
Fax: 020 7549 0241
trude.b@healthlink.org.uk
info@healthlink.org.uk
Healthlink Worldwide website

Placed on the Soul Beat Africa site January 15 2004.

Source

Healthlink Worldwide website.


Placed on the Communication Initiative site February 25 2004
Last Updated February 25 2004

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If culturally delicate HIV/AIDS factors such as male circumcision or fewer multiple concurrent partners are to be effectively addressed, which communication strategies are most required? [choose a maximum of 3]