RESILIENCE AMONGST CHILDREN LIVING WITH HIV: VOICES OF FOSTER PARENTS RESIDING IN BHAMBAYI, KWAZULUNATAL, SOUTH AFRICA

There is empirical evidence that foster families have provided much care to, and enabled the resilience of, children living with HIV in their homes. South Africa has an unenviable estimated 3.7 million children who are orphaned, about half of whom have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Consequently the rapid expansion of foster care placements started in 2003 and the National Department of Social Development encouraged family members who were caring for orphaned children to apply for foster care grants. Foster care has become a viable option for alternative care for children living with HIV and in 2014 the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) data revealed that 430 357 children were placed in court-ordered foster care and that 80% of these children were placed with their extended family. Meintjes and Hall (2012) stated that it is important to take note that unjust and discriminatory apartheid policies resulted in high levels of social dislocation, sexual abuse, neglect and extreme marginalisation of children living with HIV.