HIV/AIDS orphans in South Africa: NGO interventions supporting transitions to alternative care

Abstract

By 2015, an estimated 2.3–4.8 million children will be orphaned due to AIDS-related illness. Limited information is available on the emotional and behavioral problems that AIDS-orphaned children experience. This qualitative study explores 49 orphaned children who were observed in a non-governmental organization group setting in a small, rural village located in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Of the children in this study, 20 were orphaned due to AIDS. However, 19 children were orphaned due to parental death with an undeclared cause, but the deaths are believed to have resulted from AIDS.