COTE D’VOIRE / HIV

On Friday 29 November, UNICEF will release Children and AIDS: Sixth Stocktaking Report, the first report of its kind since 2010. InCôte d’Ivoire, 13 year old “Jean” is coming to terms with his HIV positive status despite the stigma associated with HIV. UNICEF

 

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:28
• Production Date: 27 November 2013
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND - UNICEF
• Subject Topical: HIV AND AIDS
• Geographic Subject: COTE D'IVOIRE
• MAMS Id: U131127f

Description

STORY: COTE D’IVOIRE / HIV
TRT: 1.28
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: FRENCH / NATS

DATELINE: OCTOBER 2013, ABIDJAN, COTE D’IVOIRE

Shotlist

1. Wide shot, pan right, “Jean” walking on the street
2. Med shot, Jean” with street stall seller
3. Close up, “Jean” walking down the street
4. Various shots, street life in Abidjan
5. SOUNDBITE (French) Cecile Aminata Traoré, Support worker with Femmes Actives de Côte d’Ivoire:
“Adolescents need support – social, physiological, moral.”
6. Various shots, Cecile and “Jean” walking through the shantytown
7. Med shot, “Jean’ at the support group
8. Close up, “Jean”
9. Close up, therapist
10. Close up, kids at the support group
11. SOUNDBITE (French), “Jean”, 13 years old, Adolescent living with HIV:
“In 30 years I imagine my life perfect; with a good job, my closest family, my friends and everything else.”
12. Various shots, street life in Abidjan

Storyline

Coming to terms with HIV has not been easy for 13-year old “Jean”. Having lost both his parents, he lives with his aunt in Abidjan, the largest city in Cote d’Ivoire. Here, stigma associated with HIV is such that people living with the virus are reluctant to disclose their status even to their immediate family.

During the delicate transition to adolescence, children often experience isolation and loneliness, which makes it difficult to access care, treatment and support services available to them.

Cecile Aminata Traoré, Support worker with Femmes Actives de Côte d’Ivoire works with children like ‘Jean’ on daily basis.

“Adolescents need support – social, physiological, moral.“ – said Cecile.

“Jean” came out of his shell when he met Cecile who works for Femmes Actives de Côte d’Ivoire, an NGO that provides support to children and women living with HIV. She checks whether he’s taking his HIV medication correctly and simply lends him a friendly ear.

“I met the NGO Femmes Actives when I went to Koumassi hospital for a visit. There I met one of the NGO staff who asked me to join one of their meetings. It’s a meeting with other children that we call ‘support group’. During the first meeting, we weren’t many but I felt very good, I felt very much at ease because those I met there had the same HIV status as me” – explains Jean.

Adolescence is a difficult period of transition from childhood to adulthood characterized by physical and sexual maturation, movement toward social and economic independence, and development of identity.

Health services in Cote d’Ivoire are not always equipped to provide care and support that takes into account the specific needs of adolescents living with HIV and that is why this age group is often left in limbo between child and adult care.

Despite being faced with communities’ deeply entrenched stigma toward people living with HIV, the community-based organizations play a key role in helping these children to look at their future with more optimism.

“In 30 years I imagine my life perfect, with a good job, my closest family, my friends and everything else”- dreams “Jean”

In Cote d’Ivore some 3% of the overall population is HIV positive. More than 61 000 are children.