Orphans and Vulnerable Children

Overview of the Problem: In November 2001, it was estimated that there were about 300 000 orphans in South Africa. It was estimated then that this number of orphans will have grown, by 2010, by one order of magnitude--to three million. Figures released in July 2004 show the number of orphans in South Africa to be already at 2.2 million or 13% of all children here. By 2010 this study expects one in every five children to be orphaned.

(Source: South African Case Study of the Impact of HIV/AIDS on Children, November 2001, and UNICEF/UNAIDS/USAID 'Children on the Brink', July 2004)

Having regard for the needs, interests, and well-being of the general public, all Mother of Peace Communities strive to meet the particular needs of the area in which the Community lives and operates, by aiding persons in distress. This encompasses, inter alia: caring for abandoned children and providing the structure of a home and family; maintaining language and cultural identities where possible; bringing up children to be responsible members of society; and, providing palliative care to the terminally ill.

One third of all South Africa's orphans are to be found in kwaZulu-Natal. To get some idea of just how many children this is, think of it like this: it's the equivalent of SEVEN Wembley stadia packed to capacity. Now imagine buying every single one of these orphans a hamburger and a coke, and perhaps you begin to get some idea of enormity of the problem facing our province - and it's not just one hamburger and a coke that we're after giving these children.

Many (if not most) of the children in South Africa, especially younger children living in KZN, are suffering not necessarily from being infected with HIV/AIDS but from the devastation that HIV/AIDS has caused their family members, extended-family structures, and community support systems. Children in this situation are being reduced in importance in relation to the amount of care that is required by people who are dying of AIDS-related illnesses and the demands this places on already strained resources. This results in neglect, abuse, abandonment, household poverty and malnutrition; crises which these children face on a daily basis. Without doubt, OVCs are extremely susceptible to the depredations of the ailing society in which they find themselves.

The number of child-headed households in kwaZulu-Natal continues to increase alarmingly. The Department of Social Welfare and Population Development has estimated a total of 7 456 child-headed households nationally, with more than half in KZN alone. These figures are probably much lower in reality, however.

The quality of life of these children is declining all the time. For example, there are fewer school enrolments among orphans than there were a few years ago. Schools are reluctant to accept orphaned children because, even when relatives do house and feed them, they can rarely pay school fees. In addition to the trauma of losing their families, orphaned children face declining living standards, stigma and potential abuse.

It is important to understand that the ramifications of this illness go far beyond the consideration of only its health-related issues. Possibly the most distressing aspect of plight of OVCs is that these children have adult roles thrust on them from an early age. Currently 9% of children live in households without either parents or grandparents, and this figure is set to rise exponentially as the HIV/AIDS crisis deepens. Children are having their childhood systematically and cruelly taken away from them by being forced, by dint of circumstance, to become parents, nurses, breadwinners, and housekeepers HIV/AIDS destroys not only human life, it also destroys family life.

In South Africa today we are facing the consequences of a society where the traditional family unit has been systematically broken down. The HIV/AIDS pandemic itself could arguably be a result of this, and is perpetuating the problem. Children who have had no structure in any form, no instillation of values, social norms or spirituality are going to grow into adults who have no values, social norms or spirituality. The consequences of this on our society are dire. A significant deprivation that orphans face, which is often overlooked, is the deficiency in their spiritual development because the natural environment for the initiation into the faith is impoverished by the absence of parents. The provision of orphan homes at Mother of Peace will provide the necessary structure for the handing on of the faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says,

"Parents have the first responsibility for, [·] and privilege of evangelising their children. Parents are the 'first heralds' for their children. A wholesome family life can foster interior dispositions that are a genuine preparation for a living faith and remain a support for it throughout ones life." (CCC #2223, 2225)

Everything possible, therefore, needs to be done to rectify this national tragedy. If children of HIV/AIDS families are to stand any chance of succeeding in life, however modestly, there needs to be a concerted and sustained effort to allow them to be children and to meet their childhood needs.