Children & their Psychosocial Needs: Experiences from India

Dr. Balwant Singh

India HIV/AIDS Alliance11th July 2004

India HIV/AIDS Alliance Goal Purpose Outcomes

Goal: reduced spread of HIV and impacts of AIDS mitigated

Purpose: Increased community action for - and access to - prevention, care

and impact mitigation efforts

Outcome 1

eff

efforts

Outcome 2

AIDS

Outcome 3

Outcome 1: Improved coverage of effective

community focused AIDS efforts

Outcome 2: Strengthened leadership and capacity of civil society to respond to

AIDS

Outcome 3: Improved institutional, organisational and policy environment for community AIDS responses

Overview of Programmes

MAMTA

4 Districts in Delhi

7 Implementing NGOs

Alliance India Andhra Pradesh (AIAP)

LEPRA India

14 Districts in AP

Vassavya Mahila Mandali

9 Districts in Andhra Pradesh

10 Implementing NGOs

Palmyrah Workers Development Society

13 Districts in Tamilnadu

20 Implementing NGOs

How We Work

India HIV/AIDS Alliance

Delhi Lead Partner

Andhra Pradesh Lead Partner

TamilnaduLead Partner

INGOINGO INGO

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National

State

District

Children & HIV/AIDS in India

170,000 children below 14 years are living with HIV/AIDS

Estimated 14% of 4.5 million HIV cases are children below 14 years

Every year nearly 22,837 new born children are infected and about 11,434 die due to HIV/AIDS

120,000 AIDS orphans

More than 50% of the 16,000 new HIV infections that occur daily are in the 15-25 years age group

An additional 10% of new infections occur among children under 15 years

Source: UNICEF, The state of the world’s children, 2003; NACO 2003, UNAIDS, HIV/AIDS, A Briefing Package, May 2000

Children Affected by HIV/AIDS Programme Reach

Total no.of Children Affected by HIV/AIDS

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Delhi AndhraPradesh

Tamilnadu Total

2002

2003

Total

• 7,270 children are receiving support from 2001-2004

•In 2002-2003, programme reached 5000 children and approximately 50% were girls

•In Delhi, programme reached less no. of CAA but supported 3000 other vulnerable children during 2002-2003

Working With Children

Child Centred Programme

Child Rights Child Participation

Gender

Strategic Priorities

•Reducing vulnerability of children through care and support

•Ensuring children’s voices are heard

•Influencing policy issues through advocacy

Working With Children…. Cont’d

Reducing the vulnerability

Ensuring children’s

voices are heard Influencing policy issues by advocacy

Psycho-social support

Home visits & emotional care

Recreational activities (games/plays/songs/exposure visits etc)

Community foster care

Information on rights and vulnerability issues

Life skills and vocational training

Recurring deposit scheme

Children are active partners in programme planning/ implementation /monitoring

Children happy clubs owned by them

Children working group at State/District/ village level

National policy Review

Children and their Psychosocial Needs Children’s voices from the field

Emotional Support in addition to basic Needs‘ The happiest days of my life were when I was with my parents’. Nithiya,14 year old

Love and Care from Adults‘I have lost my mother. My father doesn’t bother about us. Whenever I go out from my home people look at me in a very suspicious way. I feel so hurt that time’ Nisha, 18 year

Friendship

‘Nobody plays with me in the school. I don’t feel like going to school anymore’

Children&

their Psychosocial Needs….Cont’d

Respect from Peers and Community Members‘I want to join Army because than people from my village will give me the respect’. Praveen, 14 year boy

Understanding Feelings and Emotions

‘I do not want to join in the hostel. I want to live only with my parents’

‘My mother is so sick but we do not have money to get even food to eat’

"We clear the debts of the family by working on daily wage basis. Though we are interested in studying it is not possible, as we have to work and earn”.

“I wish the community would treat affected children with love and affection like they treat others”

Mohan’s Story…

Mohan, 14, lost both parents to HIV/AIDS and eldest in a family of 4 sons

He remains haunted by his parent’s death-Both died the same way. My father became so thin like a broomstick before his death. My mother was bed-ridden for last eight months. She could not eat rice. In her last 15 days, she ate virtually nothing. She vomited everything out and I couldn't do any thing?

Burden of caring for orphan’s has shifted to old grandparents. He feels it – My grandfather is very old but he still works very hard just because of us.

He remembers his early Childhood…Looking back I think our early childhood was happy. We played a lot with friends. There was no tension, loneliness,responsibility. But now we can not do that anymore.

Programmatic Responses

Psychosocial Support as an Integral Part of Programmes

• Sensitizing Families and Communities:

Community Foster Care• Building the Capacity of parents, peers, volunteers• Enabling an Advocacy Network of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) • Facilitating Children’s Working Group at Village, District and State levels• Review of National Policies on HIV/AIDS and Children

• Child/Adolescent Friendly Information Centres

Next Steps…

Programmes Strengthen community based programmes

with OVC Involving children throughout the process Scaling up and reaching out to the most

vulnerable children

Advocacy and Policy Country situational analysis on HIV/AIDS

and OVC Work in close partnership with government Promote multi-sectoral responses