Abstract

The Ubuntu spirit of the African people can greatly impact on the care of children living with

HIV and AIDS within the society as the network of relationships within the environment

provides a therapeutic milieu for the sick and impoverished. The study aimed at ascertaining the

guiding philosophy of care for children with HIV and AIDS with a view to appropriate care in

the right philosophy and improving the quality of care given to the children. A qualitative

research method was adopted for this study with a grounded theory approach and children living

with HIV and AIDS, their caregivers, nurse practitioners and Stakeholders in HIV care were

engaged with focused group discussions and interviews. The children and caregiver participants

posit among the findings that, the caring atmosphere in the African spirit helps in identifying the

problems of the sick child; thereby providing the needed support. The nurse practitioners and

stakeholders reflected that, the African spirit of Ubuntu beefs up the interests of one another and

provide hospitality and further posit the caring pattern to be deep due to the extended family

structures; even although, few among the participants reported inadequate response and

inaccessible social security systems as factors impinging on the care. The study concluded that

the sense of caring and hospitality for children living with HIV and AIDS is enhanced by the

spirit of Ubuntu among the African people with their extended family systems; therefore, modern

African societies are encouraged to adopt this livelihood in giving supportive care.