HIV/Aids Africa

The government says 40% of children in Namibia do not have birth certificates
to enable them to obtain social services.Minister of Gender Equality and Child
Welfare said the latest demographic and health survey reveals that about 40% of
Namibian children do not have birth certificates to be able to apply for social
grants.Marlene Mungunda said that the current trend is despite the fact that the
Namibian government was one of the first governments to develop and implement
national policies and procedures related to the care of children orphaned by
HIV/AIDS.”Much remains to be done,” she said, adding that in the past, her
ministry almost tripled the number of grants available to orphans and vulnerable
children (OVCs), but only about 30% of those in need had been reached.In
addition, it was estimated that some 14 000 children under the age of 15 years
were living with HIV/AIDS by the end of 2007 in Namibia. These children need
special support, care and access to treatment and medical facilities.Mungunda
further indicated that 90% of children living with HIV acquired the infection
from their mothers during pregnancy and at birth, or through
breastfeeding. “Every child growing up in an area with high HIV prevalence is
affected by the epidemic, regardless of whether they or their close family
members are infected,” she said.