Children under 12 should be the priority targets for educational efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, which is the main cause of southern Africa's humanitarian crisis, Sharad Sapra, UNICEF's southern African coordinator, said Thursday in Geneva. Younger children are now the main "window of hope" in the battle to break the cycle of infection, he said. Children under 12 and adults over 55 are the two age groups least affected by AIDS. In the face of the growing AIDS crisis in southern Africa, UNICEF has decided to concentrate much of its resources on schools, where children can be educated about AIDS prevention and receive food and health care. "By bringing these kids into school you not only save them from sexual exploitation and other things, you are also preparing your next work force," Sapra said. "Otherwise these kids are lost and your window of hope will be shut down."

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