Vulnerable children carers graduate
The first group of students of the innovative ?Children at Risk Certificate
Programme?, a year-long professional development course for carers of vulnerable
children, graduated at a ceremony in Swaziland late last week.180 students from
the region received a formal short course certificate from the University of
KwaZulu Natal upon completion of the course, which offers a unique learning
opportunity and qualification to community based care givers of children
affected by AIDS in eastern and southern Africa.?This course has allowed
community care givers to consolidate the wealth of practical experience they
have from working first hand with children. This type of open learning not only
enhances their skills but also contributes to the larger understanding of how
best to protect, support and care for children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS,?
said Thomas Fenn, HIV/AIDS adviser at the UNICEF eastern and southern Africa
regional office.The graduation was the first in a series of ceremonies that will
take place over the coming month for students involved in the program across the
region, including Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Namibia,
Zimbabwe and Zambia.The ?Children at Risk Certificate Programme? is a major
initiative of the African Center for Childhood, a partnership established in
December 2009 between the University of Kwa Zulu Natal, the Regional
Psychosocial Support Initiative(REPSSI) and UNICEF ESARO, with significant
funding from the Australian government. There are an estimated 15 million
children in eastern and southern Africa who have been orphaned and made
vulnerable by HIV and AIDS. The programme is designed for the families and
community caregivers of these children. This course provides a unique
educational opportunity for community based learners to engage with each other
and their learning mentors over a 12 month period.For more information
contact:Judy Matjila, communications, UNICEF Namibia, tel: 061-2046253, Mobile:
0811275963 jmatjila@unicef.org