Orphanage rate reaching a crisis point?

Elaine Appies of the crises centre, says the HIV/Aids phenomenon is the prime reason behind the high number of school orphans and households often by a single head.

“We as a country did not beat HIV/Aids because of a number of factors. People still refuse to use condoms, and some of those who are infected by the virus are in denial, especially the men, who would go as far as beating their wives when given advice concerning the virus.

“Infected parents often refuse to disclose their status to their families to avoid taking medication in front of their children and subsequently die at an early age, leaving the children to face life by themselves.”

Appies also pointed to the country’s growing population as being part of the problem – while a lot of children are being born, many are also soon left in the world without parents because of HIV/Aids.

“Our growing population is of a huge concern, especially with so many children becoming orphans. Back in the Khoisan culture, if a man got twins, they would cut off one of his testicles to avoid him from getting more twins in order to control the population.

“We need to look at our population growth and we need to seriously address the HIV/Aids pandemic.”

She says the influx of foreigners is also a reason behind the growing number of orphans, not only in schools, but the country as a whole.

“Some of these foreigners are illegally in SA so they don’t use our medical facilities because they are scared of being deported. You therefore have parents who die leaving their children to fend for themselves,” says Appies, who stressed that her comments have no xenophobic connotations.

Appies says that the country’s economy is placing a huge burden on families struggling with HIV/Aids.

“The government has been giving us food parcels since 2002, but the food these days is certainly not enough to help feed and sustain families battling the pandemic.

““Sometimes when we ask our clients why they don’t take their medication, they say they don’t have food to take with the medication. As a result, their CD4-count decreases and if their CD4-count is too low, the government does not extend their temporary disability grants, which ranges from eight months to a year.”

Appies says the added responsibility that children without parents have, especially those who also play the role as bread-winners, eventually takes its toll.

“Most of the children drop-out of school and then resort to taking drugs and alcohol to keep all the mental stress they carry at bay.

“Young girls date and sleep with the so-called sugar daddies in order to get something as basic as toiletries, because that’s all they want from these men. They unfortunately get pregnant or contract HIV/Aids, and eventually die as young parents too.

“So they, who were most likely orphans, now leave behind orphans. It’s a vicious cycle.”

Despite the desperate circumstances, Appies speaks positively about helping the children.

“We organise teachers to come to the centre to help the children with subjects like maths and English. It is about knowledge and equipping them with the right skills.

“It’s up to us parents to teach our children about family planning, such as the importance of working before starting a family, how to raise kids, and what it takes to have a good family.

“Corporate South Africa could also do more by taking a closer look at the situation in schools in general and provide the necessary attention to those children who are battling to survive.”