[pronut-hiv] Zambia Needs To Implement Policies Addressing AIDS Orphans

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Global Challenges | Zambia Needs To Implement Policies Addressing AIDS
Orphans, Health Official Says
Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 6/20/06.

      About one million children in Zambia will have lost one or both
parents by 2015 -- in large part because of HIV/AIDS -- unless effective
policies and strategies are implemented, acting Health Minister Ronnie
Shikapwasha said on Thursday, Xinhua/People's Daily reports. Speaking at
the third annual joint review of the national HIV/AIDS strategic
framework and operations of the National AIDS Council, Shikapwasha said
there are 750,000 AIDS orphans in the country, and most of them are
unlikely to obtain a formal education. Shikapwasha added that 6% of AIDS
orphans are homeless and fewer than 1% are in orphanages. According to
UNICEF, the proportion of homeless orphans is about 10%. Shikapwasha
called for the support of orphans and vulnerable children through better
access to education, health care, nutrition, food, housing and stable
homes. He also stressed that Zambia needs to double the number of health
care workers and counselors in the country, as well as the amount of
funding allocated to HIV/AIDS, to tackle the disease (Xinhua/People's
Daily, 6/16).