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Kenya’s AIDS orphans’ top million mark The Catholic church in Kenya has said the country is experiencing an increase in the number of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. In their first ever policy document on HIV/AIDS the Kenya Episcopal Commission for Health said communities were struggling to provide the children with their basic needs. The document titled, “ This we teach and do: Catholic and AIDS in Kenya,“ revealed that the number of children losing one or both parents in Kenya has reached an estimated 1.6 million. The report read in part, “…orphans were traditionally adopted by relatives or fostered in homes in their own communities. However, with the increased deaths due to AIDS, the number of orphans and vulnerable children has grown beyond the capacity of the community to cater effectively for their basic needs.” On Tuesday, Kenya’s government led National AIDS Control Council announced a decrease in Aids prevalence rate from 6.1% in 2005 to 5.9% this year. The data also showed that 39,000 children were in need of antiretroviral medicine with another 1.2 million orphaned by AIDS. The church whilst maintaining their stand on the use of condoms in the fight against the deadly AIDS virus; admitted that their ethical approach to sexuality had attracted complicating results. They lashed out at western nations and non-governmental organisations whom they accused of advocating the liberal use of condoms. Church organisers said the event was an opportunity to review and celebrate twenty years of the Catholic church’s HIV/AIDS apostolate in Kenya. In their first ever policy document on HIV/AIDS the Kenya Episcopal Commission for Health said communities were struggling to provide the children with their basic needs.
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