The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection remains as the most significant public health issue in the world today. Most treatment programs are sponsored through grants and donations since the cost of care is extremely high. The support programs too have changed with more focus on in country home grown interventions. The experiences and perspectives of caregivers of the children living with HIV/AIDS shades light on the possible challenges resulting from the loss of traditional sources of funding for treatment and social support. The researchers sought to outline the experiences and opinions of those who cared for juvenile patients living with HIV/AIDS at Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital (KTRH). Methods: A cross-sectional qualitative design with a phenomenological approach was used. In-depth interviews (IDI) were conducted on participants who provided consent and met the inclusion criteria. Potential participants were selected using purposive sampling approach method from in-patient and Comprehensive Care Centers (CCC). The IDI audio files were converted into a Microsoft text document, and then the text file was imported into the R version 4.0.2 program for thematic analysis. Findings: Eight respondents that included both men and women were interviewed and all had attained high a minimum of high school education. The move from a robust donor supported HIV care to decreased funding, according to all respondents, is marked by great difficulty. The lack of adequate funding has resulted in the suspension of nutritional supplementation programs and a drop in the interval of drug distribution from six months to two weeks and negatively affects adherence for clients who face challenges with repeated travels to hospital to refill doses of treatment. Conclusion: It was observed that a significant financial and social disruption was encountered due to the reduction in HIV care funding as evidenced by the caregivers taking up the role to fill gaps in care that includes out-of-pocket payments for drugs, supplements, consultation and laboratory services. Most of these services initially were supported 100 percent through donor programs. The inadequate donor support for HIV/AIDS programs hindered the comprehensive care of children living with HIV and raised caregiver costs thus putting a strain on the family support system.

Keywords : Funding, HIV/AIDS, Pediatrics, Caregivers, Perspectives, Program.