| What kind of image does this conjure up in your mind | | | | them how to cultivate the soil are dead. |
| when you think of Aids Orphans? Brown skinned | | | | Africa, especially sub Saharan Africa is the hardest hit |
| children, bony and sickly children. Why? Because the | | | | continent in the world by the scourge of HIV/AIDS. |
| words Aids Orphans is synonymous with Africa. This | | | | The orphans, especially children under the age of 15 |
| is the legacy of Africa. | | | | are the most vulnerable group. |
| There are a whole host of reasons why this is so. A | | | | These orphans are usually born into poverty. By the |
| few of those are listed below: | | | | time parents die there is usually nothing left for the |
| · The poorest of people and countries in the | | | | children. No chicken in the yard for food. No goat to |
| world are found here. | | | | milk. The neighbors are just as poor. |
| · The most oppressed and disadvantaged of | | | | Fortunately, the situation does not need to be as |
| women in the world are here. | | | | bleak as that. Organizations such as UNICEF and |
| · The most continent with migrant workers | | | | Young Heroes in Swaziland are doing their bit to help. |
| is Africa. | | | | UNICEF is running a campaign into which we all can |
| What has this to do with Aids? The poor cannot | | | | have a part. |
| afford the best medical care and proper nutrition. If | | | | There is a glimmer of hope in this very bad situation. |
| you are poor and you are an oppressed woman, | | | | The World Health Organization, WHO, says that a |
| even less. They are usually the ones who stay at | | | | NGO conducted a survey of 28 countries in sub |
| home to take care of the family. The men folk go to | | | | Saharan Africa. The findings are encouraging. It found |
| towns, cities and sometimes other countries to find | | | | that orphans estimated between 3.3 and 5 million |
| work. Together with finding work, they also find | | | | were getting some form of public service, e.g., |
| girlfriends and HIV/AIDS. | | | | education, health care, economic support, etc. It also |
| The parents will eventually get sick and one by one | | | | found that for every 100 children living with a parent |
| would die. The children are left as orphans to take of | | | | who attended school, 79 orphans were also attending |
| each other. Their protectors are gone. They become | | | | school. This could partly be attributed to the abolition |
| victims of oppression and further abuse themselves. | | | | of school fees. |
| They is no money for school, proper nutrition. There | | | | It is heart warming to see that Africa is also doing |
| are left without even the skills for day-to-day living. | | | | something for herself too. Some countries in Africa |
| Cultivating the soil, planting vegetables for | | | | like Swaziland are taking this pandemic quite seriously. |
| sustenance. The teachers who would have taught | | | | |