Helping the ‘collateral victims’ of AIDS
- Posted on Monday 30 April 2012 - 09:00By Andualem Sisay, Rakai, Uganda for Africa RenewalSitting on an old mattress in front of a small house in Kimukunda village in the Rakai District of southern Uganda, Teddy Nakawoeisi, 60, is waiting for her grandchildren to bring home something for supper. Between the ages of four and eight years, they are at a nearby farm -- working as daily labourers.
The house she now shares with her five grandchildren and one daughter was built for her by community members after she lost another daughter and the father of three of the children a few years ago. They died from what she calls “a strange disease.” Two other children were dumped on her by a drug-addicted son who is now in Kampala, the capital.
While waiting for the children, Ms. Nakawoeisi is busy attending to her daughter, who has been in bed for a long time because of the same strange disease. “I didn’t mean to be cruel to the children,” she says in Luganda, the local language, in explaining their farm work. “But as you can see, I am weak and have to take care of her at home.”Here in Rakai, where Uganda’s first AIDS case was reported in the early 1980s, it is common to see children engaged in intensive labour activities. The children seem to have no other option to sustain themselves and their elderly family members.
According to the Ugandan Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), in 2006 there were about 1.8 million children involved in child labour. According to UBOS and the International Labour Organization (ILO), these children primarily work in agriculture, fishing, transport, mining, construction, the urban informal sector, domestic service and commercial sex exploitation.
Nowhere to turn
In Rakai District, children who lost their parents to AIDS or who struck out on their own for other reasons are mostly engaged in farming. They often load heavy bunches ofmatookes (green bananas) on trucks for the export market or work on farms, as do Ms. Nakawoeisi’s grandchildren.
“A child who does not go to school has no future,” says Alex Bagarukayo, acting labour officer in Rakai District. Meanwhile, grandparents who used to rely on their children for their daily needs now have nowhere to turn except their grandchildren.
According to an ILO-sponsored report by Bill Rau, “HIV/AIDS and Child Labour,” the pandemic has been one of several major factors contributing to child labour since the mid-1990s, based on research in South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. And HIV/AIDS and child labour will likely remain closely linked during the first decades of this century.
Supporting communities
To break such links, research has shown, interventions are needed to help these orphans and their close relatives, with the goal of keeping the children in school, protecting their legal and human rights and meeting their emotional needs.
Several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Uganda are working with community groups to reduce the reliance of families on their children and to save the children from the likely negative impact of child labour on their development.
Since 2010, some 8,100 children have been taken out of child labour — or prevented from getting involved in the first place — in three districts (Rakai, Wakiso and Mbale), according to Rural Development Media and Communications, one of the partnering organizations.
“I can say that we have achieved significant change for the better,” says Kalamagi Yakub, a programme officer for the Rakai Counselors’ Association, another NGO engaged in the programme. Among other things, the association provides children with school uniforms and exercise books, introduces income-generating projects for households and educates local leaders and the community about the harmfulness of child labour exploitation.
According to Jackie Banya, a senior programme officer with the ILO’s Uganda office, such interventions have strengthened communities’ ability to address the needs of its vulnerable members. They also have “enhanced local government’s capacity for combating child labour,” he says, by helping them to raise awareness, provide training and enforce laws against child labour.
Sustainability
The ILO programme in Uganda is just a pilot project, with no plans at this point for replicating it. However, Mr. Banya says, as with any pilot project, the “best achievements will be shared with key stakeholders. It is our hope that the government will take the lead in replicating it in other districts of the country.”
Many agree that for a country like Uganda — which had 1.7 million AIDS orphans in 2010 — such small-scale interventions fall well short of the needs.
To sustain activities to abolish child labour and to support the families of the victims of AIDS, the government “has to fund the non-governmental organizations that are working with the community,” argues Timothy Mbaziira, chairperson of the Local Council III Sub-county. He notes that so far the NGOs and the local communities have been funding such activities out of their own pockets.
There is still a long way to go to fully support Ms. Nakawoeisi and other weak grandparents, get all child labourers back to school and rescue Uganda’s many other “collateral victims” of AIDS.
Reactions
- Posted on Thursday 03 May 2012 08:04Its a noble cause to help such kids. Except from the non-government organizations, government should also take some steps in the way to help these kids.
prints to canvas - Posted on Wednesday 31 October 2012 17:30Merely a smiling visitant here to share the love (:, btw outstanding design and style. vimax reviews Excellent post.Ne'er knew this, thank you for letting me know.
- Posted on Friday 02 November 2012 08:21Unquestionably consider that which you said. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the web the easiest factor to bear in mind of. I say to you, I certainly get annoyed even as other people think about worries that they just don't recognize about. You managed to hit the nail upon the highest as smartly|well|neatlyand outlined out the entire thing without having side-effects , other people could take a signal. Will probably be again to get more. Thanks! male enhancement I think other web-site proprietors should take this web site as an model, very clean and magnificent user friendly style and design, as well as the content. You're an expert in this topic!
- Posted on Thursday 08 November 2012 03:54I conceive this internet site contains some real great information for everyone
. vigrx plus reviews Wow, wonderful weblog structure! How lengthy have you ever been running a blog for? you made running a blog look easy. The whole look of your web site is wonderful, as smartly|well|neatly as the content material! - Posted on Wednesday 05 December 2012 04:59Unquestionably consider that which you said. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the net the easiest factor to bear in mind of. I say to you, I certainly get annoyed while people think about worries that they just don't recognise about. You managed to hit the nail upon the highest as smartly|well|neatlyand outlined out the entire thing without having side-effects , people could take a signal. Will probably be again to get more. Thanks! male enhancement pills I'm really impressed together with your writing skills as smartly|well|neatly as with the structure in your weblog. Is that this a paid topic or did you modify it your self? Anyway keep up the excellent high quality writing, it is uncommon to look a great weblog like this one today.
- Posted on Monday 17 December 2012 11:02The children seem to have no other option to sustain themselves and their elderly family members.
Vimax France
Vimax Italia - Posted on Thursday 17 January 2013 03:45I do not even know how I ended up right here, but I assumed this put up was great. I do not recognize who you might be but certainly you're going to a well-known blogger when you aren't already
Cheers! discount male enhancement I enjoy your writing style genuinely loving this internet site. - Posted on Monday 04 February 2013 05:18That is really fascinating, You're a very skilled blogger. I've joined your rss feed and stay up for looking for extra of your magnificent post. Additionally, I've shared your website in my social networks! vigrx plus for impotence I'd constantly want to be update on new content on this web site, saved to my bookmarks!
- Posted on Thursday 07 February 2013 09:30Hiya, I'm really glad I've found this info. Today bloggers publish just about gossips and net and this is actually frustrating. A good website with exciting content, that is|that's what I need. Thank you for keeping this web site, I'll be visiting it. Do you do newsletters? Can't find it. vigrx plus I do consider all of the concepts you've offered in your post. They're really convincing and can certainly work. Nonetheless, the posts are very quick for novices. Could you please lengthen them a little from subsequent time? Thanks for the post.
- Posted on Thursday 28 February 2013 07:00I am no longer certain the place you're getting your information, but great topic. I must spend some time finding out much more or figuring out more. Thanks for fantastic info I was in search of this info for my mission. vigrx plus Some times its a pain in the ass to read what blog owners wrote but this internet site is real user genial!
_footer
Home | About us | Contact | RSS | Services | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy
Copyright Africa Interactive 2013 | mail@africanews.com
Powered by React - www.react.nl
