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How HIV/AIDS is affecting ECED programmes
Patricia Maunganidze, Matron at Collin John Campbell center.
Extracted from the Child Advocate Newsletter, Issue No. 3
December 2003

Like all other sectors of Zimbabwe’s society which have been affected by HIV and AIDS, Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) has not been spared the effects.

As parents die, resulting in reduced financial resources for surviving children and the cost of living continue to sky-rocket, orphans are the first ones to feel the wrath as they are pulled out of pre-school. Some do not even get to see the gates of a pre-school as they are kept at home until school-going time, or even sent away to the villages to live with ailing grandmothers. The little available resources are turned to other needs like food, rather than pre-school.

Pre-school enrolments are dropping. For example Collin John Campbell had 75 children registered at start of last term, but by the end of that term, five had pulled out. Two went back home because the guardian could no longer afford the fees. One was sent out of Harare to go live with an aunt because the parents had died of AIDS. Children who are isolated during the pre-school days, tend to development slower as they miss out on social interaction with others, which is key to their development.

Children who are infected by HIV suffer similar consequences as adults. Ill health affects their development, and other children tend not to want to play with them simply because they suffer from scabies or diarrhea, or any other visible disease.

Because of the stigma associated with AIDS, people are reluctant to tell the pre-school teachers the status of their children. However, divulging a child’s HIV status is helpful to the child and the teacher who spends a greater part of day with the child at the pre- school. If the teacher knows, she is better placed to handle situations if a child gets sick or is involved in an accident at the play center.

ECED is playing a valuable role of providing love and affection that most orphaned children miss out on after the death of their parents. Most of the people who are trusted with the custody of orphans do not care very much about the child’s health or education, let alone showing them affecting that children so thrive on. They are pre-occupied with trying to survive or enjoying the benefits left behind by late parents of the children they would be looking after.

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