The National Multisectoral Program for the Fight against AIDS (PNMLS) has revealed that approximately three hundred thousand AIDS orphans, children whose one or both parents have died from this disease, are registered in the DRC.

These results were shared on the occasion of the World Day for AIDS Orphans, celebrated on May 7th each year.

According to the PNMLS, more than 500,000 people living with HIV/AIDS and nearly 22,000 deaths are recorded annually. This is what leads to approximately 200,000 to 300,000 orphaned children being registered in the DRC.

This institution emphasizes that their care requires the involvement of the government, NGOs, society actors, and partners.

It adds that the solution to this problem lies particularly in reducing the mortality rate among people living with AIDS, especially parents.

To address this pandemic, Dr. Mboyo, the head of the private sector response, in charge of care issues at the PNMLS, has urged people to get tested, because, he argued: "The fewer parents who die, the fewer AIDS orphans there will be."

This day was created in 2002 by an international NGO based in Switzerland to raise awareness among the public and governments about the plight of AIDS orphans.

Safi Meta