Why AIDS, War and the African Child?

The FAMSA headquarters chose the theme of the 2004 FAMSA Regional Conference after considering:

• Dilemma of the African Child
  Children are a particularly vulnerable population because they do not always have the full protection of the law. Africa being an underdeveloped continent, there is need for social investment, which is lost when children die, are traumatized or orphaned by war. African children therefore have more developmental challenges and suffer more social disruption compared to their counterparts in other parts of the world. In addition they suffer a prevalence of preventable disease morbidity and mortality.
   

• Havoc of War
  War has wrecked havoc and continues to wreck havoc in Rwanda, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Liberia, and Uganda. Children have been used as child soldiers by RENAMO in Mozambique, LRA and UPDF in Uganda, in DRC, Rwanda and other African countries. These children range from the ages of 8 to 18 years and most are made to join by force; many times they join because they have no other choice since they would have lost all their family to war and conflict. The UN estimates that over 2 million children died in the 1990s due to war and armed conflict. It is also estimated that over 300,000 children currently serve as combatants in more than 30 countries around the world and more than 50 countries actively recruit children into the military forces, and most are African countries.

War affects children in various ways which include:
            * Family life disruption
            * Orphans
            * Limb loss in early life
            * Loss of childhood innocence
            * Psychological trauma
            * Educational and social disruption
            *Children in refugee populations; malnutrition, exposure
               to abuse, diarrhea diseases

• Havoc of HIV/AIDS
  HIV/AIDS has since been a cause of concern in the continent and more so as the pediatric morbidity and mortality of the disease is on the increase. HIV/AIDS has caused loss of productive population as people affected are young people between the ages of 15 – 49. The disease has been the leading cause of children becoming orphans at a very young age. Discrimination against these orphans has been another disturbing issue. Presently it is estimated that in Africa, over 75% of AIDS orphans are not in schools. In addition, HIV/AIDS has drastically reduced life expectancy in most African countries.
   

• Need for intervention
  There is a need for intervention in HIV/AIDS and war because they are medical and social issues, they are developmental issues and they are preventable.
   

• Need for youth empowerment via FAMSA
  Based on the above, it is obvious that youths have to take on the responsibility of fighting war and AIDS in Africa in other to preserve our future. However, for youths to act they have to be empowered with information, knowledge and skills. Thus FAMSA seeks to do the following:

  • capacity building for future generation of African doctors

  • capacity building for next generation of intervention and developmental issues experts

  • build a network of future professionals

 

 

• Program Schedule
• Call for papers
• Host City (Ibadan)

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© 2004,  Federation of African Medical Students Association