Marseille 2007
| Abstract #325 - Title: Effectiveness of the Memory Project In Planning for Children by HIV+ Parents: The Case of NACWOLA Kampala and TASO Mulago | ||||
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Session: 6.71: Posters A (Poster) on Monday in Chaired by Authors: Presenting Author: Mrs Betty Mwandha Mutonyi - TASO Uganda Limited/ TASO Mulago Centre, Uganda |
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| Additional Authors: Dr Peter Atekyereza, | ||||
| Aim: Globally, every one, especially children, feels the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS. Resources are depleted on treatment of life-long illnesses of their parents whose eventual death, greatly affects the childrens future. The Memory Project (MP) was borne out of the need for parents living with life threatening illnesses such as HIV/AIDS to make secure plans for their childrens future. It prepares children to cope meaningfully with the psychosocial effects of HIV/AIDS in their families, in order to experience the future loss of their parents with fewer traumas. An evaluative study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the MP in enabling HIV+ parents in NACWOLA Kampala and TASO Mulago to plan for the future of their children, under; plans made for children before and after parents knew their sero status, planning by MP and non-MP beneficiaries, open communication, documentation and appointment of guardians. | ||||
| Method / Issue: Self Administered Questionnaires, Interview Guides, Key Informant Interview Guides, Focus Group Discussion Guides, an Observation Schedule and Document review were used in data collection from 82 respondents and 18 key informants. Qualitative data was analysed manually and the Special Package for Social Sciences, version 10.0 for windows, was used for quantitative analysis. | ||||
| Results / Comments: The findings show that more parents made plans for their children after knowing their sero status (76.8%); female parents who are MP beneficiaries made more secure plans than males (84.6%); open communication/disclosure proved more effective in improving relationships between parents and children with increased childrens participation in planning, hence preparing them for a future without parents (31.9%); education, savings/investments and documentation were the other main plans made for children to become self-reliant; early identification and appointment of guardians is essential for a smooth transition and sustainable future childcare after the death of parents, and documentation is valuable for security of childrens property (43.6%). | ||||
| Discussion: Parents need continued medication, skills and economic empowerment to facilitate better planning for their children. Deliberate strategies to incorporate men in planning for their children is essential and more emphasis should be put on documentation. The MP should be scaled up in NACWOLA, TASO and extended to other organizations to benefit more HIV and non-HIV affected households. Further research can be done on why men are fewer in seeking HIV/AIDS service in general and planning for their children in particular, why documentation is a slow process and the relevancy of the MP in the advent of Antiretroviral Therapy. | ||||
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