HIV Care Services at McCord Hospital > Psychosocial Support Programmes for HIV+ Children

Psychosocial Support Programmes for HIV+ Children

In collaboration with several reputable local partners, McCord Hospital is in the process of implementing a comprehensive, age-appropriate psychosocial support programme for HIV positive children from July 2012. The programme currently comprises of three components namely;

1. Kidz Alive Workshops (4 – 10 year olds)

2. CHAMP (Collaborative HIV/AIDS and Adolescent Mental Health Project) (10-13 year olds)

3. Life Coaching Sessions (14 – 19 year olds)

1. Kidz Alive Workshops (4 – 10 year olds)

The Kidz Alive workshops are delivered by Zoe Life, a local NGO that specialises in addressing crucial areas of need, with a core focus on health (HIV, TB and malaria), child survival (infant feeding, nutrition, shelter and illness management), and family strengthening (psychosocial support and parental health).

The Kids Alive programme is a fun, interactive programme for 4-10 year olds who are HIV positive and their caregivers. The programme is run over a series of workshops that cover a multitude of relevant topics from grief and disclosure to treatment literacy, nutrition and coping mechanisms.

To kick start the programme, McCord and Zoe Life held 5 Kidz Alive Wellness Days at the hospital from the 25^th – 29th June 2012. (40 children and their caregivers per day) The aim of the Wellness Days was to celebrate the children’s health and help prepare them for the next step in their journey which was accessing ARV treatment at their local government clinic.

From July – November 2012, on-going Kids Alive workshops will be held for HIV positive children and their caregivers at two local NGO’s based in Durban’s two main townships namely CARE (situated North of Durban) and Blue Roof (situated South of Durban).

2. CHAMP (Collaborative HIV/AIDS and Adolescent Mental Health Project) (10-13 year olds)

The Collaborative HIV/AIDS and Adolescent Mental Health Project (CHAMP) is a developmentally-timed family research intervention targeting 10-13 year old (pre-adolescent) children and their families, originally developed in the USA and adapted for South Africa. The programme is delivered to children and parents using cartoons as a media format that is accessible to parents with low literacy levels. The reputable programme has been found to have a significant impact on key outcomes such as HIV/ AIDS knowledge and treatment adherence, communication amongst adolescents and caregivers and stigma among others.

80 HIV positive children aged between 10 and 13 years and their caregivers, will in groups of 10, participate in 10 CHAMP sessions held at McCord Hospital every second Saturday between July and November 2012. The children and caregivers will attend separate sessions with trained CHAMP facilitators and work through the 10 session programme.

3. Life Coaching Sessions (14 – 19 year olds)

For older HIV positive children, aged 14 – 19 years, McCord is offering life coaching sessions. The life coaching sessions will focus on helping HIV positive teens to look holistically at their life and make changes where necessary to improve their lives – be it related to their HIV status or otherwise.

We know that many HIV+ teens are struggling to cope with a wide range of issues from pill fatigue and drug resistance to personal relationship issues and even teen pregnancy. Providing life coaching will give local teens the tools and coping mechanisms they need to not only navigate the transfer of their ARV treatment to the government clinics, but also the skills they need to lead healthy, happy and productive lives as adults.

McCord is also involved in extensive HIV research programmes. With its dedicated staff, extensive experience in HIV care, and strong links with the international research community, McCord will continue to work towards understanding the complexities of this disease and identifying and testing possible healthcare solutions.

For more information on McCord's Psychosocial Support programmes for HIV+ children, please email: donations@mccord.co.za

For more information on our other HIV programmes, select from the dropdown box below

Click here to make a donation to McCord's Psychosocial Support programme.