From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Mr Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS: ZAMBIA: ''CHILDREN IN DISTRESS'' PROJECT HELPS ORPHANS
Originator: barnhart@gagme
Organization: Evanston, Illinois
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 01:51:33 GMT

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Reference: Africa, southern
Title: ZAMBIA: ''CHILDREN IN DISTRESS'' PROJECT HELPS ORPHANS


an inter press feature servive

by katongo chisupa

lusaka, sep 23 (ips) -- ''cindi'' may sound like the name of a
young woman. infact, it is the the acronym for ''children in
distress'' which aims to help children whose parents have died
of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (aids).

the project targets children and youths of up to 20-years-old
and helps them with basic needs such as shelter, proper feeding,
clothing, basic education, proper health care and, equally
importantly, somebody who cares for them.

''children do not always know why their parents died'', says
a senior social worker at the project. ''all they do know is
that they are hungry or cold and no one seems to care''.

the zambian capital lusaka, with a population of 1.2 million,
has 12,000 orphans whose parents have died of aids, according to
the u.n. children's fund (unicef). the figure nationally is
80,000 orphans.

''we hope to build up community-based activities that will
promote caring for the orphans in their home surroundings'',
says cindi project coordinator, norwegian liv raavand.

enumeration is one of cindi's most important objectives,
explains raavand. through enumeration, the project gets a
picture of how big the orphan problem is in the country and the
kind of resources needed to help more orphans.

to carry out its activities, cindi depends on assistance
from donor agencies based in lusaka, through the family health
trust of zambia, a non-governmental organisation formed in 1987.

in 1991 cindi conducted a pilot study in matero east, one of
the most densely-populated neighbourhoods of lusaka.

more than 215 aids-orphaned children were identified in one
section of the neighbourhood with a population 3,000 children.

the project has set up six branches throughout the country.
with donations from charitable organisations, cindi has also
been able to provide some of the children with uniforms, shoes,
school fees, and books. (more/ips)


zambia: ''distress'' (2)

lameck tembo is a grade-seven boy at ng'ombe shanty compound
in lusaka where the project is in operation. he lost his parents
two years ago.

''i am glad cindi was started and since january i have
been receiving my school requirements from the project. i wish
more organisations could come up like this to help those
suffering like me'', says tembo.

traditionally, the extended family in zambia cared for the
the relatives in need.

but in the hard economic times the country is going through,
some traditions and customs, particularly in the urban areas,
are not only changing, but are dying. most people are struggling
to take care of their own children.

there are reports of children being exploited by their
relatives as cheap labour, forcing some to escape and on to the
streets.

''through arranging and participating in workshops, seminars
and communities concerning child welfare, we try to create
awareness about the growing problem of orphans and advocate
for laws and policies that safeguard the interest of these
children'', explains raavand.

before the end of the decade, it is estimated zambia with a
current population of eight million, will have 122,505 aids
orphans. by the year 2000, the number will have grown to
602,415, representing 11 percent of the children under the age
of 15 years, says unicef.

the ministry of health notes between 20-25 percent of the
women of child-bearing age have the human immunodeficiency virus
(hiv) which causes aids.

medical experts say the chances of pregnant women
transmitting the aids virus to their children are 30-50 percent.

if the current trend of aids-related deaths in zambia
continues, the southern african nation will have a gigantic
generation gap problem, analysts here say.

social scientists suggest the zambian government needs to
spend about five million dollars a year on the problem of
orphaned children -- a prohibitive amount for a near-bankrupt
country. (end/ips/kc/apc/oa/92)