HIV prevalence in Kenya has fallen from a peak of 10% in adults in the mid-1990sto the current estimate of 6.1%, howeverthe decline is not uniform throughout thecountry and prevalence in some antenatalclinics falls between 14% and 30%. TheJoint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) also estimates that 1.1million children living in Kenya have beenorphaned by AIDS (UNAIDS, 2006).The percentage of children orphanedor otherwise considered “vulnerable” isestimated at approximately 60% of allchildren within Kenya (Kenya CentralBureau of Statistics, 1999).

Children affected by HIV/AIDS often live in households undergoingdramatic changes, including intensified poverty; increased responsibilitiesplaced on young members of the family; poor parental health that mayincrease emotional or physical neglect; stigma and discrimination fromfriends, community members, or extended family; or parental death. Thesechanges often result in reduced household capacity to meet children’s basicneeds. Orphaned children may undergo a transition to a new household or,in relatively few cases, be forced to head their own households. Orphansare more likely to live in households with higher dependency ratios; mayexperience property dispossession; often miss out on opportunities foreducation; may live in households experiencing food insecurity; and oftenexperience decreased emotional and psychological well being due to suchdramatic life changes, challenges, and losses (UNICEF, 2006a).