May 2008 - Children & HIV

Letter from Kay

Welcome to the HIV Caring Community! This month we’re focusing on the most vulnerable people on our planet – children. Children pay the highest price in any crisis, whether it is because their country is at war, or because their community lacks a well or a school, or because their parents are ill. All of societies’ woes eventually trickle down and affect the life of a child. They are always at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to allocating funds, attention and resources. This is true in HIV as well. They have no say in whether they are born HIV+. They cannot raise their voices on their own behalf to demand pediatric formulations of the antiretroviral medications. They do not have any of the world’s power and are at the mercy of the adults in their lives. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are called to be a voice for these little ones! Let’s decide that we will be their advocates and work tirelessly on their behalf. Let’s care for them as though they are all our sons and daughters, our grandsons and granddaughters, our nieces and nephews, our neighbors.

On behalf of those dearest in His sight,
Kay Warren

P.S. Check out the article on my book, Dangerous Surrender: What happens when you say yes to God, and visit http://www.kaywarren.com/ for messages, music and downloads that will enhance your reading experience.

Kay Warren, co-founder, Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, Calif., and executive director of Saddleback Church's HIV/AIDS Initiative

Dangerous Surrender:
What happens when you say yes to God

Surrender. It is not an inviting concept, is it? Yielding. Relinquishing. Our very nature resists these concepts.Intimacy with God. Now that is far more appealing. Don’t we all long for a deeper personal experience of God’s presence?
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HIV:
What Every Church Child-Care Worker Should Know

Fear is alive and well in the church nursery. The phone frequently rings with slightly- panicked parents asking what “special precautions” should be taken in the nursery because a baby has a parent who is HIV positive or worse yet, the baby is HIV positive too. Fears abound that the virus may run rampant amongst others. The fears are real, but the reality of HIV spreading to others in a church nursery or playground setting is not real.
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Kathryn’s Story

“This child is not available for adoption,” the social worker told us curtly. “Is she really not available?” I persisted. The unspoken understanding between us was clear. I suspected that what she meant by “not available” was that this little girl, who had captured our hearts, was one of the twenty or so HIV-infected children living at New Life Home.
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Conversation: HIV and Your Child

What have been the greatest blessings and challenges of having an HIV-infected child?

Nate: Kathryn is such a delight. Getting one of her famous hugs when I get home at the end of the work day is a real treat. Although our situation is very different from most parents caring for HIV-infected children, I feel that I am able to identify better with those living in families affected by HIV.
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Five Strategies from the Global Framework
to Address Orphans, Children and HIV/AIDS

Working with HIV Positive Children Changes Lives

Back in 2002 my then high school aged daughter who needed community service hours came to me wanting to make use of her time and talents for something meaningful, something that would have eternal impact.
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Vulnerable Children: The Sad Statistics

• Over 143 million children have lost one or both parents. 
• At least 16.2 million children worldwide have lost both parents.
• Every 14 seconds a child loses a parent due to AIDS.

The Vulnerability of Children

When the first cases of HIV were identified over 25 years ago, the thought that children might be infected was initially far from most people’s minds. While there was an incredible amount of ignorance due to limited experiences with HIV at the time; it was soon tragically apparent that children would be greatly affected and infected and that the virus would change the global landscape for children forever.
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