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Children - 5 Appraisal findings
The sheer volume of information generated during this appraisal means that not every example of a particular point is shown in this summary. We have tried to highlight what participants felt were the main issues, resources and gaps for children affected by AIDS. Rather than show these findings in order of magnitude or in discrete categories, they are presented to show how issues link with one another. This linking is in an attempt to ensure that responses for children are holistic and multisectoral and are not just categorised into 'income', 'education', 'psycho-social' and so on.
The summary of findings in this report also indicates where there was significant agreement or disagreement between participants, or where for some reason there are gaps in the information.
On the whole, there was a high level of agreement between all participants regardless of who they were. Children, particularly orphans tended to focus more on the details of their lives, but were surprisingly well informed about the bigger picture.
Interestingly, orphaned children disagreed with adults about the usefulness of orphanages and children’s centres as a long-term solution for addressing their needs. Overwhelmingly children said they would prefer to live in a family within a community. Violence towards children as a practice and also as a concern was mentioned in many sessions.
No judgement has been made on the quality of the information, but where suggestions for action are contrary to lessons learned in other countries, this has been highlighted. For instance, many participants felt that 'more orphanages' was the main solution to the problems of children affected by AIDS. Lessons learned from other countries clearly indicate that orphanages are not necessarily cost effective, nor in the best interests of the child.