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Child-Centred Approaches to HIV/AIDS (CCATH) – Kenya and Uganda
Child-Centred Approaches to HIV/AIDS (CCATH) project in Kenya and Uganda aims to develop and help strengthen 'community coping strategies' for supporting 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 is aimed at strengthening children's resilience and also to address the issue of their life situation. This included 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 need to be accessible and welcoming to children.
The CCATH has organisational strengths that they have developed to support children and communities to cope with the impact of HIV/AIDS.
- 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 promoting 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 gives children a sense of self-esteem because 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 also helps parents and children to 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 community-based organisations (CBOs) to develop 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 has been instrumental in the drafting of a children's bill in Kenya.
Development Issues
HIV/AIDS, Children
Key Points
The project focuses on five 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
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), Healthlink Worldwide, the Child-to-Child Trust in the UK.
Placed on the Communication Initiative site January 15 2004
Last Updated January 22 2004
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i have read that you work with partners, am from a local CBO called Rural Efforts for Action in Davelopment in Luweero Uganda, is there a posibility of establishing partnership with you? we work with ophans, child mothers, care givers in four program areas; HIV?/AIDs,livelihood options , village savings, and loan associations, and reproduction health.
Joseph Byabazaire readuganda@yahoo.com