My HIV-positive son has refused to study
Dec 06, 2009
CHILDREN living with HIV face a lot of problems as they grow, so we need to develop ways of helping them cope with the challenges they face.
Face HIV with Dr. Watiti
Dear doctor,
My son who is 12 years old and HIV-positive has now refused to go to school because he says there is no reason for keeping in school when he is going to die. He is on ARVs and not sickly. What can we do to help him?
Joan
Dear Joan,
CHILDREN living with HIV face a lot of problems as they grow, so we need to develop ways of helping them cope with the challenges they face.
Many of these children are not known by school authorities because parents or guardians may not have disclosed their problems to the school administration.
In some schools for example, there are anti-HIV/AIDS messages such as “AIDS KILLSâ€, posted in the compounds. These can be a source of great stress to such children especially after it has been disclosed to them that they are infected with HIV.
That is why we need to train child counsellors who can work with parents and guardians of these children so that they grow up normally.
Proper counselling and disclosure are done followed with socio-psychological support.
We also need to look again at the Education, Information and Communication (IEC) materials such as “AIDS KILLSâ€, which fuel stigma especially in schools.
Adults living with HIV also need to come up and be role models to these children so that they grow up knowing they can live good quality lives even though they are HIV positive once they adhere to their treatment.
Dear doctor,
My son who is 12 years old and HIV-positive has now refused to go to school because he says there is no reason for keeping in school when he is going to die. He is on ARVs and not sickly. What can we do to help him?
Joan
Dear Joan,
CHILDREN living with HIV face a lot of problems as they grow, so we need to develop ways of helping them cope with the challenges they face.
Many of these children are not known by school authorities because parents or guardians may not have disclosed their problems to the school administration.
In some schools for example, there are anti-HIV/AIDS messages such as “AIDS KILLSâ€, posted in the compounds. These can be a source of great stress to such children especially after it has been disclosed to them that they are infected with HIV.
That is why we need to train child counsellors who can work with parents and guardians of these children so that they grow up normally.
Proper counselling and disclosure are done followed with socio-psychological support.
We also need to look again at the Education, Information and Communication (IEC) materials such as “AIDS KILLSâ€, which fuel stigma especially in schools.
Adults living with HIV also need to come up and be role models to these children so that they grow up knowing they can live good quality lives even though they are HIV positive once they adhere to their treatment.