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.
