Consol Homes

Whether it’s George Clooney publicizing the violence in Darfur, Bono campaigning for debt relief, or Angelina Jolie visiting as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, stars are using their wattage to raise public awareness about the problems facing Africa today. Hand in hand with other celebs, Oprah Winfrey recently opened her Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. “Despite their efforts, there remain millions of orphaned African children who need nutritious food, clean water, housing, and an education,” says Sarah Ehrlich, founder and president of the non-profit Help for Orphans (www.helpfororphans.org). “Although every effort helps, the challenge is to create a sustainable system that nurtures and educates children for years to come.”

The numbers are stark. According to the United Nations, the number of African orphans increased from 30.9 million to 41.9 million between 1990 and 2000, and projections suggest that the number will increase to 53.1 million by the year 2010.

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Adopting an AIDS orphan in Africa is one of the ways to help families and communities cope with the ever-increasing number of children orphaned by AIDS in Africa. Many African states resources have been stretched to the limit in an attempt to address the broader effects of the HIV/AIDS situation, especially to assist the high numbers of African AIDS orphan families. However, the governments efforts coupled with those of civil society have not been enough.

Adopting an AIDS orphan is therefore an important intervention because it means saving a life. It means a decreased strain on government resources as that child’s needs – including food, shelter, education, healthcare and other physical and emotional needs – are met by an able and helping hand. To do this is impossible for many African families and communities because they have all been affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic in one way or the other; already they bear some kind of responsibility resulting from this health crisis.

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