The Government of Malawi is deeply concerned about the situation of orphans in the country. The HIV/AIDS pandemic is tragically claiming a lot of lives.

This brief outlines the situation of orphans and vulnerable children in sub-Saharan Africa and proposes measures to increase their access to education.

The Primary School Action for Better Health (PSABH) project was first funded on a small scale by DFID in 1999, under a health umbrella programme called HIV and AIDS Prevention and Care (HAPAC).

Findings from an assessment of provincial health care facilities offering reproductive services to identify gaps in service delivery and determine priorities for integration to meet the growing demand for HIV/AIDS-related services.

Summarizes the effects of a succession planning program on the actions taken by HIV-positive parents and standby guardians to plan and provide for the future of their children. Baseline report (2001) also available.

Data from the Ndola Demonstration Project study have yielded encouraging results from efforts to improve the capacity of mothers to make informed decisions about their own health and the health of their infant.

Fewer orphans are enrolled in school than other children but the extent of disadvantage - after allowing for their older average age - is small in most countries.

Review 2003 asks the question: how does the epidemic impact on families and the personal relationships between family members - between partners, between husbands and wives, between parents and their children and between siblings?

As the HIV/AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa grows in scope and intensity, the situation of children has become more precarious. Advances in the well-being of children in terms of social welfare and health, achieved over several decades, are being compromised.

The international workshop "Protecting the rights of young children affected and infected by HIV/AIDS in Africa: Updating strategies and reinforcing existing networks" took place in UNESCO Headquarters co-organized by UNESCO and the Early Childhood Development Network for Africa (ECDNA)