Working Group on Orphans and Vulnerable Children Briefing on DFID’s Revision of Taking Action

This briefing from the UK Consortium on AIDS and International Development Working Group on Orphans and Vulnerable Children outlines 5 priority recommendations for the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

Priority recommendations include:
1) Send a clear message about the prioritisation of an effective response to the issue of children affected by AIDS
2) Support national governments to deliver comprehensive and integrated prevention of mother-to-children transmission (PMTCT) services, as outlined by the G8 Leaders at the Heiligendamm Summit in 2007
3) Support national governments to ensure the provision of co-trimoxazole to all HIV-exposed children as a prophylaxis and for the treatment of opportunistic infections
4) Place the same emphasis on the development of infant diagnostics adaptable to resource-limited settings as it does on treatment, vaccines and microbicides
5) Take specific steps to strengthen organisational capacity of governments and civil society responding to children affected by AIDS, reflecting G8 commitments to ensuring that all children left orphaned or vulnerable by AIDS are given proper support

Members of The Working Group on Orphans and Vulnerable Children: Amref, British Red Cross, Cafod, Care International, Child Hope, Christian Aid, Consortium for Street Children, Egmont Trust, Healthlink, HelpAge International, Hope HIV, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Learning for Life, Mildmay International, Plan UK, Religions for Peace UK, Samaritan's Purse International Relief, SOS Children’s Villages, Street Child Africa, Tearfund, Uganda AIDS Action Fund, UNICEF UK, VSO and World Vision UK.