The United Nations describes Africa as “a continent of orphans.” HIV/AIDS, malaria, and famine have each played a role in the ever increasing numbers of orphans in Africa, Asia, and other developing countries. In Ethiopia alone, more than 11 percent of all children are orphans and the majority of them are between the ages of 12 and 17. These young people often find themselves living on the streets because of limited room in orphanages and overwhelmed extended families and communities. They are vulnerable to health risks, violence, exploitation, and discrimination. They have limited access to food, shelter, healthcare, and education and it should be noted that half of HIV infections occur among young people aged 15-24 years of age. When the actual number of orphans should be declining due to improvements in healthcare and nutrition, the numbers are rising because of the continued challenges associated with the HIV/AIDS epidemic and its negative impact on the communities most affected by it.These challenges will continue to impact adolescents, their communities, and their countries unless successful interventions that pay attention to the developmental differences of adolescents are successfully implemented. “Children on the Brink, 2004,” by UNAIDS and UNICEF analysts, reports that “After losing parents and caregivers, children have an even greater need for stability, care, and protection. Family capacity—whether the head of household is a widowed parent, an elderly grandparent, or a young person—represents the single most important factor in building a protective environment for children who have lost their parents to AIDS and other causes.”

 

With the overwhelming statistics outlined above, it is very difficult to select children to be included in the program. We have no bias based on health, education or background but we do have some basic criteria for inclusion :

 

In order to find the children to be included in the program we work with the local government who provide a list of eligible children based on the criteria above. Ideally we look to place the child with a member of their extended family but if this is not possible we will look to identify another suitable guardian.