Academy for Educational Development

Washington, D.C., September 1, 2004 — Eleven million children in sub-Saharan Africa have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Nearly two million are under the age of five.

The Academy for Educational Development (AED) has launched the AED Orphan Support Pack Project to provide the caregivers of 1,000 children under five orphaned by AIDS in Kenya with urgently needed services and care items.

“Very few programs exist to meet the health, nutrition, education and emotional needs of these vulnerable children and their overburdened caregivers,” said AED President Stephen F. Moseley.

The pack includes a prepaid card good for a full set of immunizations, as well as preschool fees, a school uniform, a notebook and pencil, weekly home visits by a trained community mentor and a caregiver support group for one year at a cost of $100 per orphan. Other items include a washcloth and soap, a blanket, a school uniform, a notebook and pencil, materials to create a parents memory book, and a ball.

“We know this approach works,” said Moseley. “A pilot program has had impressive results with 95% of children fully immunized and enrolled in preschool. Just as important, caregivers are now spending more time with the children,” he added.

The AED Orphan Support Pack is the newest initiative of AED’s Change Through Children campaign, which is working to break the cycle of poor health and nutrition and inadequate education that affects millions of children in developing countries. More information is available at http://www.changethroughchildren.aed.org/orphansupport.

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