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Ministry of Social Affairs Response to Cases of Children with HIV/AIDS Affected by COVID-19
JAKARTA (October 6, 2020) - The COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing in Indonesia. Many residents are affected both economically and mentally. The Ministry of Social Affairs through the "Handayani" Children's Center again received a report (28/09) regarding children affected by COVID-19 which needed to be responded to immediately. The report comes from the Lentera Foundation where there are 10 children with HIV/AIDS in the DKI Jakarta area who currently find it difficult to obtain their basic daily needs.
Responding to the report, Social Worker of "Handayani" Children's Center then immediately went to the 10 children's homes to conduct an assessment accompanied by the Lentera Foundation. After the assessment, it was found that 10 children ranged in age from 5-12 years. Most of these children have been orphaned so that care is transferred to their grandmothers or aunts.
Unfortunately, it is known that the 10 children were infected with HIV/AIDS due to the ignorance of their parents who do have HIV/AIDS. Parents find out that they have HIV/AIDS after the children are around 2-3 years old through a health check and an HIV/AIDS test. All of them belong to the low-income group. Currently the guardians of the 10 children are having difficulty making a living due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some were expelled from their place of work, some stopped being entrepreneurs because they no longer had the capital.
Based on the results of the assessment, it is known that children need food for nutrition. All of them were given assistance in the form of milk, vitamins, biscuits, fruit, and other supporting foods. Furthermore, coordination and periodic monitoring of children will continue to be carried out in collaboration with the Lentera Foundation.