One of the most telling and troubling consequences of the HIV/AIDS
epidemics growing reach is the number of children it has orphaned
or seriously impacted. Today more than 13 million children currently
under the age 15 have lost one or both parents to AIDS, most of
them in Sub-Saharan Africa. By 2010, this number is expected to
rise to more than 25 million.
In Uganda today, the number orphans is estimated
at more than 1.5 million for children under 15 years. Current
UNAIDS statistics indicate a number of 530,000 people currently
living with HIV/AIDS, this number will further increase the number
of ophans. In the past, people used to care for the orphans and
loved them, but these days they are so many and many people have
died who could have assisted them, and therefore is a common phenomena,
no strange. The few who are alive cannot support them.
There's a large increase in the number of families
headed by women, Children and grandparents. This is evident in
Mafubira Sub-Country Jinja District, there are 147 registered
families hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, 90% of these families
are headed by grand parents who have no steady means of income.
Majority survive by selling banana leaves, avacados, mats, yellow
bananas, Matooke, maize the list is long but earnings of these
item are too small to sustain there families including taking
the children to school.
Major
Interventions by Africa Youth Ministries
One of the biggest challenge with orphaned children under the
AIDS epidemic is loss of education due to lack of school fees
or simply to look after their sick parents. Africa Youth Ministries
in partnership with various donors from Canada, USA, UK, Italy,
Australia has managed to sponsor over 1500 children in the last
6 years, providing Scholastic materials & school fees.
The
CEO Africa Youth Ministries distributes scholastic materials
to orphaned and vulnerable children the Child Sponsorship
program
Low Cost Housing:
Poor housing conditions is also
one of the biggest challenges facing orphaned children, in
this area Africa Youth Ministries with its partners and volunteers
has provided so far 50 low cost parmanent houses, benefiting
about 400 People Living With AIDS, Children Orphaned by AIDS
& as well as families affected by AIDS.
Namakula
Annet just 12 dropped out of school to look after her sick
mother, ahead of her is a challenge of looking after her
4 siblings but worse still the life threatening house they
are living in.
Volunteers
from Point Grey Secondary School participate in building
a low cost house for a family of 7 Orphaned Children &
their grand mother in Jinja.
A
group of donors and volunteers visits some of the houses
built by Africa Youth Ministries to benefit families affected
by AIDS & Orphaned Children in Rakai District Uganda
Humanitarian
& Relief Program
Without any one to provide for
them clothes, many orphaned children have no clothes, and
they move naked facing the rough natures coldness, they also
go through the brunt coldness of the nights because of they
have no beddings. We're very grateful to our donors and partners
who have helped us and enabled us to provide free clothes,
shoes, blankets, bed sheets to such needy children.
Orphaned
Children with their Grandmother after receiving a donation
of bedsheets, clothes, shoes from Africa Youth Ministries
in Seguku Wakiso District
Happy
Orphaned Children after receiving a donation of clothes
and blankets at Kyewanise in Mpigi District.
One
of Africa Youth Ministries staff distribute clothes to Children
Orphaned by the AIDS epidemic and families affected by AIDS
at Kyewanise in Mpigi District under the Humanitarian &
Relief program.
You Can Donate to this
Project:
For US$ 23 sponsor a child month, US$
10 you buy a mosquito net for a child, for US$ 50 per month
you can support 3 girls or boys to train in making handcrafts
for income generation.
