Namibians show they care about orphans

DESPITE the news that the worst is yet to come regarding the number of AIDS orphans in the country, Namibians have shown a “unique solidarity” in dealing with the situation, a United Nations official said in Windhoek last week.

Speaking at the end of his first visit to Namibia, UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) regional director for east and southern Africa, Per Engebak, said the current orphan generation, estimated at 120 000, was set to double in number by 2010. This trend was not expected to plateau until about 2015.He spent part of his visit in the Ohangwena and Omusati Regions looking at programmes and meeting local people.In Omusati, statistics from 2002 showed there were about 25 000 orphans out of a population of 228 000.He said between 25 and 30 per cent of the children in the region were already orphans, a figure which is among the highest in Africa.Botswana, Lesotho and Zimbabwe also have large numbers of orphans, and it is estimated that by 2010 a third of the children in these four countries will either be orphaned or extremely vulnerable.”There will not be the same intensity all over,” Engebak pointed out, stressing though that there would be a substantial increase in numbers.He commended the Namibian Government for the way it was dealing with the orphan issue through the various line ministries.In 2002, Namibia was one of only seven out of 46 African countries that attended a Windhoek conference on orphans and vulnerable children and that had a national action plan in place.There had never been a situation like this in history, Engebak said, and paid tribute to the way families, and even communities, were taking in and caring for these children.”Namibia has a compassion for children,” he said.He warned, though, that the more children others took in, the more the coping mechanisms of carers were stretched and ” … something has to give”.The entire society needed to be mobilised to deal with the situation.On the positive side, he said, he was encouraged to see statistics that indicated that the HIV infection rate was “rapidly tapering off” in the 15-to-19 age group.He believed this was due to the life skills programmes presented in a national effort to tackle the pandemic.”That is very encouraging,” he said, adding there were few places in Africa, apart from Uganda, where such trends were seen.”It brings hope,” he concluded.This trend was not expected to plateau until about 2015.He spent part of his visit in the Ohangwena and Omusati Regions looking at programmes and meeting local people.In Omusati, statistics from 2002 showed there were about 25 000 orphans out of a population of 228 000.He said between 25 and 30 per cent of the children in the region were already orphans, a figure which is among the highest in Africa.Botswana, Lesotho and Zimbabwe also have large numbers of orphans, and it is estimated that by 2010 a third of the children in these four countries will either be orphaned or extremely vulnerable.”There will not be the same intensity all over,” Engebak pointed out, stressing though that there would be a substantial increase in numbers.He commended the Namibian Government for the way it was dealing with the orphan issue through the various line ministries.In 2002, Namibia was one of only seven out of 46 African countries that attended a Windhoek conference on orphans and vulnerable children and that had a national action plan in place.There had never been a situation like this in history, Engebak said, and paid tribute to the way families, and even communities, were taking in and caring for these children.”Namibia has a compassion for children,” he said.He warned, though, that the more children others took in, the more the coping mechanisms of carers were stretched and ” … something has to give”.The entire society needed to be mobilised to deal with the situation.On the positive side, he said, he was encouraged to see statistics that indicated that the HIV infection rate was “rapidly tapering off” in the 15-to-19 age group.He believed this was due to the life skills programmes presented in a national effort to tackle the pandemic.”That is very encouraging,” he said, adding there were few places in Africa, apart from Uganda, where such trends were seen.”It brings hope,” he concluded.