The situation of orphans in Haiti is characterized by a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, poverty, and vulnerability among children. An estimated 1.2 million orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) live in the country, with an HIV prevalence rate of 7.7% of the population. The Haitian government, donors, and stakeholders have recognized the importance of strengthening interventions to reach these children.
The Ministry of Health is involved in a strategic planning process to develop a new five-year plan to address the issue of OVC. The USAID/Haiti requested FHI/IMPACT assistance in assessing the situation, and the report is the result of a two-week field visit in April 2000. The assessment team conducted meetings, interviews, a literature review, and field visits to gather information on the situation of OVC and their families in Haiti.
Haiti’s HIV prevalence rate is the highest in the region, with an estimated 300,000 HIV-positive men, women, and children in the country. Each year, some 5,000 babies are born infected, and 45,000 AIDS-related deaths occur annually. The statistics paint a grim picture of the situation in Haiti, particularly for its children. Forty percent of the population is under the age of 15, and as many as 25% of these children may be classified as extremely vulnerable.
Only one quarter of Haiti’s vulnerable children have lost one or both parents, while the remaining 900,000 plus are children in female-headed households, fostered children, children in institutions, children living in families with an HIV-positive adult, HIV-positive children, street children, child laborers, and others. Studies indicate that 25% or more of Haitian families included at least one child whose parents are not part of that household. Coupled with the economic decline of the past decade, these factors put the children at even greater risk.
The children suffer higher rates of mortality and malnutrition, fewer are immunized, and many must drop out of school. Although some data indicate the pandemic may have recently plateaued, the economic and social problems faced by the children and families affected by HIV/AIDS will not diminish for at least another 15 years. The government’s proposed new strategic plan includes developing a guide for family and community care, and NGOs support various types of programs for OVC, including institution-based, fostering, and community-based care.
An estimated 200,000 children live full or part-time in institutions, and reliance on these institutions may be increasing. Funding for OVC interventions in 1999-2000 is only at 10% of the level it was at from 1990 to 1995. More than half of OVC are absorbed into families and communities, but the stigma, economic strains, and organizational challenges of caring for these children limit this response.
The assessment highlights the need for a strategic and expanded response targeting OVC, including the development of a policy environment supportive of community-based programming. The report provides information that will support the development of a new five-year plan to address the issue of OVC in Haiti.