Academy for Educational Development

AED Launches Orphan Support Pack Project for Young Children in Kenya Affected by AIDS

Of the 11 million children in sub- Saharan Africa who have lost one or both parents to AIDS, nearly two million are under the age of five.
 It is estimated that 150,000 of these young orphans live in Kenya.

AED has launched the Orphan Support Pack Project to provide urgently needed caregiver support services and care items to 1,000 of these young children. A campaign to raise funds for the project began this spring.

The pack includes a prepaid card good for full immunizations as well as preschool fees, weekly home visits by a trained community mentor, and a caregiver support group for one year.

Other items contained in the pack are a "sippy cup" and bowl, a washcloth and soap, a blanket, a ball, a notebook, pencil and crayons, a school uniform, and materials to create a parents memory book.

The Orphan Support Pack Project will expand the number of children served by AED’s successful Speak for the Child project in Kenya’s Western province.

"I have seen young children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS gain resilience from our care and support. They can now smile; they are no longer withdrawn," said Kenya Chief of Party Jael Mararu.

Each pack costs $100 for a year’s worth of services and materials. The packs will be assembled in Kenya to help strengthen the local economy.

AED is partnering with schools around the United States to raise funds for the project.

More information is available at www.changethroughchildren.aed.org/ orphans.

The Orphan Support Pack Project 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 affecting millions of children in developing countries.

• For more information, contact Peter Johnson at pbjohnso@aed.org, or visit the Change Through Children Web site.