ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents an overview of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa and its effect on children. The issue of HIV/AIDS has received considerable attention worldwide. Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the regions that have been disproportionately impacted by the HIV/AIDS pandemic; losing a considerable proportion of adults in their most productive years. Before the AIDS epidemic consumed Africa, African communities nurtured and protected their children. The book reviews the living arrangements of children in sub-Saharan Africa. It deals with the situation of children in a variety of settings including child-headed households. The book assesses governmental and community responses to the plight of children made vulnerable by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. It presents a synopsis of policies and programs put in place in response to the plight of vulnerable children in sub-Saharan Africa.
