New Children's HIV Toolkit
Helping Children Take an Active Role in HIV Treatment and Management
Aug 21, 2008
Of the 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS, UNICEF estimates that 2.1 million are children under the age of 15. While there is no cure for AIDS, antiretroviral treatments (ART) greatly extend the number of years an individual can live with the virus. According to UNAIDS, 200,000 children were receiving ART in 2007.
Coping with a chronic disease can be difficult for anyone. In the case of individuals receiving ART, the need to manage a complex medication schedule can make it even more confusing. It is even more difficult to explain the complexity of HIV and necessity of ART to young children.
Children often are not in control of their treatment since health care workers and family members administer medications. A newly developed toolkit is designed to help children unpack the issues related to their HIV and take a larger role in their own treatment. The program also hopes to encourage children to plan for the future and pursue their dreams. A final component of the program is training children to be advocates by increasing their understanding of HIV and reducing the stigma associated with the disease.
A Children’s Toolkit
The new toolkit was designed by the Southern African HIV and AIDS Information Dissemination Services (SAfAIDS). The toolkit, titled “Children’s ART Literacy Toolkit for Communities”, takes advantage of ways for children to learn while having fun. The information comes packaged in a red school box and is available in five languages that are common to Southern and Eastern Africa.
The toolkit contains a number of different items designed for children between the ages of 6-11. The toolkits contain the following items:
- A series of booklets containing information on a number of topics including HIV, treatment, discrimination, and supporting others.
- An interactive poster
- A calendar to help children track their adherence to their HIV treatment medications
- Pamphlets on tuberculosis, anti-retroviral treatment (ART), and children
- Advocacy stickers
- A board game to test their knowledge on HIV and ART
- Quiz cards on HIV and ART issues
History of the Toolkit
The toolkit was developed after SAfAIDS developed a similar toolkit for women in 2004. Women complained that they were not receiving enough information about HIV or ART when they went in for their appointments. The few health care workers available did not have the time to help the women understand the various aspects of their disease and treatment. Once the toolkit for women was developed and implemented, the women asked for a similar toolkit to be developed for their children.
Resources:
Snider, Leslie. “Children, HIV and ART: Innovative Tools for Treatment Literacy Lessons from IAC 2008”. Africa Science News Service (Aug. 14, 2008).
SAfAIDS “Kids ART Education Series- The Children’s Treatment Literacy Toolkit”
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