Maong Jamir, Assistant Director, Prodigals’ Home addressing a dissemination workshop supported by UNICEF.
Dimapur, November 24 (MExN): Prodigals’ Home organized a dissemination workshop supported by UNICEF to address problems and needs for children infected and affected with HIV in Dimapur. In the workshop, it was publicized that children either infected or affected with HIV are from poor families, who live Below Poverty Line. The special program which was funded for two years will end in December 2011. The question raised in the workshop is “Who will further support these children, if not these children will become helpless.”
In the statistic as underlined by Maong Jamir, Assistant Director, Prodigals’ Home, there are 25 children orphaned by AIDS, 70 children infected by HIV, 470 children affected by AIDS and 565 consolidated in Dimapur. Also in the figures, there is a huge demarcation between male and female; more female are either infected or affected. At the moment, these children are funded by PLHA from Population Foundation of India, through NDO supported by CRS, ICPS through Social Welfare Department and Chavara Homes.
Concerns were shared that churches and schools have a huge role to play to support HIV infected and affected children, which is not happening in Nagaland. Maong Jamir, Assistant Director, Prodigals’ Home further addressed that, “Some churches are coming forward, but many are still ignorant about the whole issue, which is a huge set back in our society.” Moreover, infected or affected individuals are scared to open their concern for they fear discrimination within the society. The challenge remains- can schools, churches and government become more sensitive towards HIV/AIDS issue in Nagaland? There is discrimination in schools and churches, something that needs to be eradicated at the earliest. If proper aid is not provided to these children on time, it is feared that many children will become orphan, face psychological trauma, risk of violence, discontinue schooling and malnourished. The main distress at the moment for these HIV infected and affected children are protection, education, health, psychological support and socio-economic security.
In the statistic as underlined by Maong Jamir, Assistant Director, Prodigals’ Home, there are 25 children orphaned by AIDS, 70 children infected by HIV, 470 children affected by AIDS and 565 consolidated in Dimapur. Also in the figures, there is a huge demarcation between male and female; more female are either infected or affected. At the moment, these children are funded by PLHA from Population Foundation of India, through NDO supported by CRS, ICPS through Social Welfare Department and Chavara Homes.
Concerns were shared that churches and schools have a huge role to play to support HIV infected and affected children, which is not happening in Nagaland. Maong Jamir, Assistant Director, Prodigals’ Home further addressed that, “Some churches are coming forward, but many are still ignorant about the whole issue, which is a huge set back in our society.” Moreover, infected or affected individuals are scared to open their concern for they fear discrimination within the society. The challenge remains- can schools, churches and government become more sensitive towards HIV/AIDS issue in Nagaland? There is discrimination in schools and churches, something that needs to be eradicated at the earliest. If proper aid is not provided to these children on time, it is feared that many children will become orphan, face psychological trauma, risk of violence, discontinue schooling and malnourished. The main distress at the moment for these HIV infected and affected children are protection, education, health, psychological support and socio-economic security.
