Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. D11107)
Coelho AG Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Children are the real victims of HIV/AIDS, as through no fault of theirs, they are relegated to a life of misery and psychological distress. Besides having lost one, or in some cases both parents, many of them are infected as well . All these children are subsequently left in the care of elderly grandparents or relatives, who themselves face a bleak future . These children are rejected by their peers and the community in general . The Malaysian Children's Aid Society (MACAS) is a NGO, which is incidentally not related to AIDS. It has recently been receiving appeals from the various hospitals in Malaysia, to assist these unfortunate families . MACAS's initial objective was to provide foster-care and assistance to children whose families were unable to care for them and to arouse and maintain public interest in their welfare . It was formed to serve the needs of children under the age of 18 years. Despite the education and dissemination of health programs organised to raise awareness, the public is still sceptical regarding the disease and ostracise these children . They are not accepted into nurseries or schools . Their elderly care givers are forced to take up low income jobs to support themselves and their young dependents . Last year MACAS received a total of 110 applications . Of these 10 were from infected families . Immediate financial assistance was provided to help these caregivers, pending long term assistance from relevant agencies . The planning and implementation of preventive projects have obviously not reached the target groups . Given the risk related behaviours of many young people these days, it is imperative that young community leaders, youth groups, spiritual and local government leaders be roped in to access effectively these hard to reach groups, as these little children have a right to a brighter tomorrow .
Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Infections, HIV Seropositivity, Child Welfare, Caregivers, Family, Health Services Needs and Demand, Child Care, Social Welfare, Health Planning, Residence Characteristics, Poverty, Community Health Services, Malaysia, Child, Human, Education, Economics
