Gina Stepp: The Missing Middle Generation

                                                                                         

There are many reasons why Grandparents may find themselves raising grandchildren. Sometimes the middle generation is missing for reasons that are truly tragic, as is the case with Africa's ongoing AIDS crisis and the resulting "AIDS Grannies."

According to the United Nations 2006 global AIDS summary, the crisis is far from abated. However there are some encouraging trends resulting from interventions that include public education and counseling services. In roughly two-thirds of the 11 sub-Saharan countries studied, sexual activity in children under 15 has been declining. In six of the heavily affected African countries, HIV prevalence among 15-24-year-olds in capital cities have declined by 25% or more.

But Africa remains the hardest hit by the AIDS pandemic, with some areas showing no decline whatsoever. According to the UN report, the best way to reduce these figures is through efforts to reduce sexual risk behaviors. Says the report, "Countries that have lowered HIV incidence have benefited from the emergence of new sexual behaviour patterns . . . delayed sexual debut in Zimbabwe, increasing emphasis on monogamy in Uganda . . ."

But such changes in behavior rarely come about without teaching or training, a difficult challenge with so much of the middle generation missing.

About the author:
Gina Stepp is a writer and editor with a strong interest in education and the science that underpins family and relationship studies. She began working toward a Journalism major and Psychology minor at the University of Central Florida before moving to California where she completed her BA in Theology in 1985. To contact Gina Stepp, please email at ginastepp@earthlink.net.

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