South Sudan: One Child's Story of Living With HIV in a South Sudan Camp

analysis

By Lisok Eluzai Scopas
Link to web article here.

Puack, aged 4, is living with HIV and has been under the care of his stepmother Martha since his mother died of AIDS in 2012.

The child contracted the virus from birth. Before his mother died, when he was three months old, she suffered from different kinds of infections which appeared frequently and when she was tested for HIV, she was found to be positive.

Puack and Martha have been living as internally displaced people (IDPs) in the crowded UN Jebel camp in Juba for the past eight months, ever since conflict broke out between the Dinka and the Nuer, the largest ethnic groups in South Sudan.

Fleeing civil tension

Previously, Martha and her family lived in Bentiu in Jonglei, the country's largest state. But they fled their home and came to settle in the UN camp because tension was increasing with many people being killed and because her husband, from the Nuer tribe, became a target for assassination.

According to Martha, although they are getting food aid from humanitarian agencies, the diet is not nutritious enough for Puack's health given his HIV status, but the food rations provided in the camp are all she has to feed him.

"I am experiencing a lot of challenges in managing the health of the child: nutritionally, hygienically and medically," she said. "Rainfall is also a big issue, living in a tent which leaks and floods whenever it rains. Under these circumstances, the child is exposed to severe cold which could easily pave the way for sickness, like flu, malaria and a cough."

Unhealthy living conditions

The camp surroundings are littered with faeces, which is leading to chronic diarrhoea. Puack, prone to sickness, an only get pain relief if Martha takes him to the health unit within the camp.

But Martha remains intent on caring for her stepchild despite lacking the basic support needed to maintain his health. "The child is weak and is often sick," she concluded sadly. "He really needs a good diet to provide him with enough energy to play with his peer group."

Although there are aid agencies working to help the displaced people, their main focus tends to be on providing clean water, food and medication. It is unknown how many people are living with HIV and AIDS as many fear stigma and discrimination.

Specific support for people living with HIV is extremely limited. But UNAIDS, the South Sudan AIDS Commission and their implementing partners are working with volunteers among the displaced people who are involved in carrying out HIV awareness within the camp. This includes voluntary and confidential counselling and testing.