4 Jun 2009 - In the News
A new partnership project between the government of Lesotho, the European Union, and UNICEF aims to improve the well-being of AIDS orphans by providing financial assistance to children whose parents have died of the disease.
The Lesotho Child Grants Program will initially provide 1,200 households in the Mafeteng, Maseru and Qacha’s Nek districts with quarterly cash grants of $38 beginning in July, and hopes to expand the program to other areas of the country in 2011. These grants target low-income households and will be used to cover basic crucial living expenses including schooling fees and health care costs. Communities took part in the project by forming Village Verification Committees that helped the government identify households with children most in need.
Lesotho has one of the highest HIV prevalence rate worldwide, with about 23.2% of the population HIV positive. UNICEF estimates that about 110,000 children have lost one or both parents to AIDS.
To read more visit the Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report: http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=1&DR_ID=58340
