final program.qxd - Parallels Plesk Panel

PP 1.2
AIDS Orphans: Assessment of families in Crisis
Megan Gatlin, Terry Le, Sharon Brown Kunin M.S., Eiman Mahmoud MD, MPH
Touro University, Vallejo, CA, USA
Introduction
Currently, there are 14 million children who have lost 1 or both parents due to AIDS and
80% are living in sub-saharan Africa. In 2015, it is estimated that rates will rise to 25
million AIDS orphans. In Tanzania alone, there were nearly 1 million orphans in 2003.
Typically these children are absorbed into extended families, which are already
overwhelmed by poverty and therefore unable to provide adequate health care and
education.
Objective
To conduct a needs assessment in a rural village of Tanzania & determine the factors that
put orphans & their caregivers at risk for poor health and life outcomes.
Methods
Forty-four head of households and forty-nine orphans, living in the Ngorogoro village of
the Lake Victoria region of Eastern Tanzania, were interviewed for this study. Participants
were identified and recruited by village administrators. Two investigators plus a translator
traveled by foot to interview villagers with surveys consisting of closed- and open-ended
questions translated into Swahili. Responses were collected and entered into a database
for analyses. The interviews were approximately 30 minutes and were conducted at
designated locations or participants' home.
Results
Demographics:
Females comprised over 80% of head of households. Mothers and grandmothers were 3
times more likely to assume the responsibility of caring for orphans compared to other
relatives. Seventy-five percent of caregivers surveyed completed primary school but less