Providing psychosocial support to special needs children: A case of orphans and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe

The AIDS pandemic has orphaned hundreds of thousands of children worldwide and most of these are in sub-Saharan Africa. Being orphaned by AIDS creates peculiar circumstances which may affect the children's ability to benefit from regular education. The impact of vulnerability on children's well-being has been documented by UNAIDS, UNICEF and by other organizations and writers. This study sought to ascertain the effectiveness of implementing psychosocial support (PSS) among children who are orphaned by AIDS in improving their schooling outcomes. A total of 20 children with ages ranging from 10 to14 years, attending four different primary schools located in the rural wards of Mberengwa district of Zimbabwe were involved in this study. All the children showed signs of emotional need and they were lagging behind in their academic work. Psychosocial support was provided to these children over a period of eight months resulting in improvements in several areas, including schoolwork during and after the intervention period.