Project FOCUS: Art for Development in Uganda

A comprehensive community assessment was conducted from July to August 2007 in close collaboration with a local community based organization called PARDI, Participatory Action for Rural Development Initiative. 150 households randomly selected in the sub-county of Lyantonde were interviewed by Ugandan staff using the Child Needs Assessment, a survey tool developed by the Task Force for Child Survival and Development (http://www.taskforce.org/hiv.asp).

Information about the community was collected concerning topics such as health care quality and access, family income and resources, basic needs such as bedding and clothing, availability of child care, education, discrimination and stigma due to HIV in the family, inheritance rights, nutrition, and the psycho-social well-being of children 8 years old and younger. The data from this assessment is currently being analyzed with support from faculty and students at the UIC School of Public Health. A report of the findings will be available this spring for distribution to local community leaders, non-govermental organizations, and donors.

The findings from this assessment will be used to develop appropriate and sustainable programs that address identified needs related to the psycho-social well-being of individuals affected by HIV/AIDS. The data will also be used as a baseline study to evaluate the future impact of our work in the community. Although the results from this study are still being analyzed, some early findings indicate an AIDS orphan crisis without historical precedence: 30.9% of children 1 - 17 years old are orphans and almost half, 49.7% of households are caring for at least one orphaned child.

For more information about the AIDS orphan crisis in sub-Saharhan Africa, visit the Firelight Foundation website at www.firelightfoundation.org, or www.avert.org/aidsorphans.htm