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FOLKEHELSE-Folkehelse

AIDS Competent Schools: Exploring the pathways through which schools in Kenya can be supportive of AIDS-affected children

Awarded: NOK 1.4 mill.

Much of sub-Saharan Africa is struggling to cope with the devastating impact of the acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) virus. At the frontline of this epidemic are children who with often limited support, have to cope with extremely difficult circ umstances as their parents fall ill or pass away. There is an urgent need to support this group of children. The education system has the largest single institutional network and body of skilled people who interact with children in most sub-Saharan Africa n countries. This position, coupled with the limits on other role players, makes it uniquely placed as a potential source of care and support for AIDS-affected children. Despite numerous calls for the need of schools in sub-Saharan Africa to include compo nents of care and support of AIDS-affected children, little has been done to conceptualise the pathways through which schools can be supportive and even less effort has been made to ask the children of what they perceive as a supportive school context. It is against this background that this study consults children and adults from the schools and surrounding communities and investigates how they think schools in sub-Saharan Africa can be supportive of AIDS-affected children. With the aim of theorising 'AI DS-competent schools' this study draws on a mix of research methods and compares "good practice" schools in Western Kenya.

Funding scheme:

FOLKEHELSE-Folkehelse