|
extent
of the challenge
 The
proliferation of orphans has become a deluge; it's absolutely
overwhelming in country after country.
Governments are beside themselves: no one has any firm grip on how
to handle these millions of frantic children.
Extended families and communities struggle to absorb them;
grandmothers bury their own children and then try somehow to cope with
hordes of grandchildren; child-headed households are an ever-growing
phenomenon on the landscape of Africa: it is a nightmare.
--
Stephen Lewis, U.N. Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, July 24, 2005
The
situation of children affected by AIDS in Africa is precarious leaving not
only children's lives at stake, but also the future economic and social
development of communities and nations.
The AIDS epidemic has had deleterious
effects on communities, and most particularly, children.
-
UNICEF
estimates that 15 million children under the age of 18 had been
orphaned by the AIDS pandemic by the end of 2003
-
Eight
out of ten AIDS orphans live in sub-Saharan Africa
-
Over
18 million African children will have lost one or both parents to
HIV/AIDS by the end of this decade--out of an estimated total of 25
million AIDS orphans worldwide.
|
Extent of the Challenge
Some
12 million African children have lost one or both parents to AIDS, and the
number of AIDS orphans worldwide could reach 25 million by the year 2010.
