HIV/AIDS and the Socio-emotional Development of Children in Southern Africa

George Chitiyo & Morgan Chitiyo

Abstract

Literature on the effects of HIV/AIDS on children has expanded considerably in recent years. The AIDS pandemic became rife in Sub-Saharan Africa in the early 1980s and has had negative impacts on different segments of the population. The purpose of this chapter [from the book Assisting Young Children Caught in Disasters] is to highlight the impacts of the pandemic on young children, particularly those aged eight and below, and identify interventions that have been shown to be efficacious in terms of the socio-emotional welfare of children. Implications for early childhood educators are also included.