16 Mar 2009 by Sabina Matter
UNAIDS (2008) estimated that by the end of 2007 there were approximately 6.5 million children orphaned by AIDS in Southern Africa. Millions of additional children in the region feel the triple effects and impact of HIV/AIDS, poverty and conflict. While there is no doubt that all these children have to be provided with basic services like food, shelter, education and healthcare, they also need care and support to cope with the emotional side of these difficult life situations.
The Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative for Children affected by AIDS, Poverty and Conflict (REPSSI) was founded with the support of the Novartis FoundationMT; co for Sustainable Development and the official development aid agencies of Switzerland and Sweden, SDC and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) with the aim of laying down benchmarks in psychosocial support (PSS) in Eastern and Southern Africa. REPSSI works with over 140 local NGOs to train course leaders and develop courses and manuals, and cooperates with the governments of the 13 countries in which it operates with the objective of securing recognition of PSS as a basic right and a fundamental element of social policy.
REPSSI, along with its partners, has developed a range of tools and approaches in order to maximize both the quality of psychosocial care and support, as well as the numbers of children who are able to access various levels of PSS. The organization has reached over 2 million children orphaned by AIDS in 2008. Its goal is to reach 5 million by 2011.
To learn more about REPSSI please visit www.repssi.org.
To watch the REPSSI video on youtube click here
