Re: Re: Focus On Grandmothers: Silent Managers of Home-Based Care for Orphaned Children

[Guest guest]

Thanks Omondi Ouko. I appreciate your comments on this grandmothers saga. I agree that they paly a great role in the care and protection of the OVCs. Your idea of ' playing big' is long overdue as this will kind of address the issue of HIV micromanagement. Thanks guys for these opinions that have been genuinely expressed. Regards omondiouko <omondiouko@...> wrote: Thanks for your maail which is very challenging. I feel to share about the copying strategies of Communities in relation to infection and affection in the face of HIV and AIDS.Having worked in the communities for a period of time a number of issues due hapen which are not addressed but for us to address the communities issues more effectively we need to be part of the community and this will give us a community face in addressing their issues. Thes grandmother issues in one of the bad experience that we see in the communities because we didn't address the real issues on time and in some of our prorgammes we still wants to play small in the face of HIV and AIDS. Please let us pool together in addressing issues affecting children at the best interest of the children for a better tommorrow.Our playing small today miight make the world have a

community with out direction. People lets fight togethe, share some of the promising practices that have worked in our organizations to enable a helping relationship.People are basicaly good. Omondi OukoPandipieri WiRED CHIC>> Focus On Grandmothers: Silent Managers of Home-Based Care for > Orphaned Children and Children Living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya> Grandparents in Africa today, especially elderly women, are finding > themselves parents again — to their grandchildren. As HIV/AIDS takes > its toll, increasing numbers of grandmothers already taking care of > their sick or dying children must also provide care and shelter to > their grandchildren. Many also take in orphaned children with > nowhere to go and no one to care for them.> > "I could not even afford to buy

paracetamol as a painkiller or anti-> itch cream for his rash. He decided to throw himself in a well > because the pain was too much. I had nowhere to turn to. I could > only pray to God. I am now left to look after his five children. > These children are always hungry, so we always have to tie our belts > tight. We as old mothers and old fathers are crying to Kenya to help > us. We have educated you our children, now we want you to help these > children." —Grandmother from Ahero, Kenya> > Grandmothers in Kenya recently had an opportunity to dialogue with > , Special Representative to the Secretary General on > AIDS in Africa, during his mission to Kenya. The dialogue was > organized by UNIFEM and HelpAge Kenya to raise visibility for the > situation of elderly women as care-givers, a considerably > marginalized group in society living with high levels

of poverty.> Twenty grandmothers who provide home-based care for their > HIV/AIDS-affected grandchildren and orphans spoke up about the major > difficulties they face on a daily basis and how they would like the > government and civil society groups to help. Their limited > involvement in HIV/AIDS interventions stands in sharp contrast to > the fact that their lives are severely affected by the pandemic. > They provide economic, social and psycho-social support, but are > largely excluded in the planning, resource allocation and programme > implementation of governments and developmental health and > humanitarian agencies. For more information, contact Roselyn Gicira, > roselyn.gicira[at]unifem.org> > Protecting IDPs in Somalia> Internally displaced (IDP) women in Somalia are particularly > vulnerable to gender-based violations within IDP communities. >

Somalia is a clan-based society that has strict socio-cultural > structures for its members. Displacement and relocation disrupt > these structures, leading to gender-based violations of women during > times of transit and at their settlement areas. Protection for IDPs > has emerged as a key component for humanitarian actors in Somalia, > including UNIFEM, and a UN Joint IDP strategy is providing a > framework of action and calling for collaboration among all > stakeholders, including IDPs themselves. There is a clear need to > identify, recognize and addr ess the special vulnerability of IDPs > and raise awareness of their special needs among local authorities > and other relevant stakeholders.> Participants of a recently concluded series of training > workshops for humanitarian actors in Somalia reiterated the > importance of exploiting all protection mechanisms available

within > the Somali community to protect IDPs, with host communities and > traditional elders having the responsibility of overseeing > implementation. They stressed the importance of sensitizing > displaced communities about their rights and empowering them to > claim them. They also agreed on the development of programmes aimed > at preventing displacement with an emphasis of tackling the root > causes of displacement in Somalia. Civil society and women's > organizations were seen as key players in the provision of > psychosocial support and counselling often needed by survivors of > various forms of abuse. UNIFEM and its partners are working in the > country to train peer psychosocial counsellors on dealing with > gender based violence and its link to HIV/AIDS infection within > their co mmunities. For more information, please contact Roselyn > Gicira,

roselyn.gicira[at]unifem.org>

[Guest guest]

Thanks Omondi Ouko. I appreciate your comments on this grandmothers saga. I agree that they paly a great role in the care and protection of the OVCs. Your idea of ' playing big' is long overdue as this will kind of address the issue of HIV micromanagement. Thanks guys for these opinions that have been genuinely expressed. Regards omondiouko <omondiouko@...> wrote: Thanks for your maail which is very challenging. I feel to share about the copying strategies of Communities in relation to infection and affection in the face of HIV and AIDS.Having worked in the communities for a period of time a number of issues due hapen which are not addressed but for us to address the communities issues more effectively we need to be part of the community and this will give us a community face in addressing their issues. Thes grandmother issues in one of the bad experience that we see in the communities because we didn't address the real issues on time and in some of our prorgammes we still wants to play small in the face of HIV and AIDS. Please let us pool together in addressing issues affecting children at the best interest of the children for a better tommorrow.Our playing small today miight make the world have a

community with out direction. People lets fight togethe, share some of the promising practices that have worked in our organizations to enable a helping relationship.People are basicaly good. Omondi OukoPandipieri WiRED CHIC>> Focus On Grandmothers: Silent Managers of Home-Based Care for > Orphaned Children and Children Living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya> Grandparents in Africa today, especially elderly women, are finding > themselves parents again — to their grandchildren. As HIV/AIDS takes > its toll, increasing numbers of grandmothers already taking care of > their sick or dying children must also provide care and shelter to > their grandchildren. Many also take in orphaned children with > nowhere to go and no one to care for them.> > "I could not even afford to buy

paracetamol as a painkiller or anti-> itch cream for his rash. He decided to throw himself in a well > because the pain was too much. I had nowhere to turn to. I could > only pray to God. I am now left to look after his five children. > These children are always hungry, so we always have to tie our belts > tight. We as old mothers and old fathers are crying to Kenya to help > us. We have educated you our children, now we want you to help these > children." —Grandmother from Ahero, Kenya> > Grandmothers in Kenya recently had an opportunity to dialogue with > , Special Representative to the Secretary General on > AIDS in Africa, during his mission to Kenya. The dialogue was > organized by UNIFEM and HelpAge Kenya to raise visibility for the > situation of elderly women as care-givers, a considerably > marginalized group in society living with high levels

of poverty.> Twenty grandmothers who provide home-based care for their > HIV/AIDS-affected grandchildren and orphans spoke up about the major > difficulties they face on a daily basis and how they would like the > government and civil society groups to help. Their limited > involvement in HIV/AIDS interventions stands in sharp contrast to > the fact that their lives are severely affected by the pandemic. > They provide economic, social and psycho-social support, but are > largely excluded in the planning, resource allocation and programme > implementation of governments and developmental health and > humanitarian agencies. For more information, contact Roselyn Gicira, > roselyn.gicira[at]unifem.org> > Protecting IDPs in Somalia> Internally displaced (IDP) women in Somalia are particularly > vulnerable to gender-based violations within IDP communities. >

Somalia is a clan-based society that has strict socio-cultural > structures for its members. Displacement and relocation disrupt > these structures, leading to gender-based violations of women during > times of transit and at their settlement areas. Protection for IDPs > has emerged as a key component for humanitarian actors in Somalia, > including UNIFEM, and a UN Joint IDP strategy is providing a > framework of action and calling for collaboration among all > stakeholders, including IDPs themselves. There is a clear need to > identify, recognize and addr ess the special vulnerability of IDPs > and raise awareness of their special needs among local authorities > and other relevant stakeholders.> Participants of a recently concluded series of training > workshops for humanitarian actors in Somalia reiterated the > importance of exploiting all protection mechanisms available

within > the Somali community to protect IDPs, with host communities and > traditional elders having the responsibility of overseeing > implementation. They stressed the importance of sensitizing > displaced communities about their rights and empowering them to > claim them. They also agreed on the development of programmes aimed > at preventing displacement with an emphasis of tackling the root > causes of displacement in Somalia. Civil society and women's > organizations were seen as key players in the provision of > psychosocial support and counselling often needed by survivors of > various forms of abuse. UNIFEM and its partners are working in the > country to train peer psychosocial counsellors on dealing with > gender based violence and its link to HIV/AIDS infection within > their co mmunities. For more information, please contact Roselyn > Gicira,

roselyn.gicira[at]unifem.org>