Children in Africa are exposed to a numerous amount of stress that impacts their development. It's unfortunate that they are in an environment where they have to worry about the next attack on their village, whether or not they will have enough to eat, where they are going to live and how they are going to survive after the disease HIV/AIDS has claim their parent or adult guardian. As we know, Africa has been hit the hardest with the disease HIV/AIDS effecting 60% of the population. I will discuss the effects of this horrible disease on children's development.
If a family member is affected with HIV/AIDS and can no longer complete any work related duties, the families income decreases by 60%, they go into debt and food consumption drops by 41% (Richer,2004). Families often relocate to the home town village of their parents. Sometimes there are family members that are willing to assist in help the sick parent. The children's work responsibility increases, children as young as 5 years old have duties they now have to complete for the families survival. Work responsibilities include domestic chores, farming and begging for food and supplies. Children's school attendance is affected because of their new responsibilities and in some cases where the child is still able to go to school they refused to attend in fear of being made fun of.
One of the most important effect of AIDS on children is emotional. Children watch their parents and sometimes guardians suffer over a long period of time and because of their deaths , children are sometimes separated from their siblings and are left abandon, lonely, or become an orphan. Children want to know about their future and would like for their parents to educate them about this disease but parents are silent in helping their children understand what is going to happen next. This stress triggers anxiety, depression, fear, sadness and withdrawal.
Overall, there is a consensus that the first priority is to strengthen the family and to educate the people of Africa about this disease and its effects on the family structure and the country. It is also to support families and children when the parents first become sick. The organization that is trying to make a difference in Africa is www.developafrica.org , they are trying to help educate the people and make them more knowledgeable about the prevention of this disease.
Richter, Linda (2004). The impact of Hiv/Aids on the development of Children. Published in Monograph No.109.
Children in American are so very lucky to not have to endure this type of life style. Although many children in the United States don't have a glamours life it generally is better than what these poor children have to endure on a daily basis. It is amazing the responsibilities that these young children have to keep a family from going hungry. A child begging for food is not something you generally see on a daily basis in America. Thank you for this post and bringing these situations to the attention of others including myself.
ReplyDeleteReguardless of our circumstances we must be thankful of what we have and stop worrying about the things we don't have. We also have to be more supportive.
DeleteChildren in Africa are not able to just be children. The amount of responsibility and stress that are put on their young minds and bodies is unimaginable. When I look at children in my community it breaks my heart knowing that there are children elsewhere that do not know the carefree nature of early childhood. Reading your post makes me want to hug my students a little tighter everyday and make sure they know they have a support system and an advocate behind them!
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