Today is World AIDS Orphans Day. Did you know that there are 15 million children orphaned by AIDS who are living around the world right now? What a shocking number! It is estimated that in this year, 6,500 people will die from AIDS every single day. YES, EVERY DAY! Of those who die daily, 6,000 of them will leave children behind. Even worse is that AIDS is completely treatable now. A child diagnosed with HIV who receives treatment has the opportunity to live a full life. There are several organizations that help orphaned children of AIDS around the world. Two great ones are AHOPE and HARDTHAVEN.
To learn more about HIV+ children, please go see my blog friend, Erin. She is raising some darling HIV+ children and has written a wonderful post about World AIDS Orphans Day. If you can, please go learn about HIV+ people from her site and maybe make a donation. The stigma associated with AIDS is preventing care from getting to all those who need it. Imagine what this world will be like with 15 million children growing up without parents ... without guidance, a safe home, proper nutrition, education, and LOVE.
Rich Stearns, President of World Vision, US said: "I believe that this could very well be looked back on as the sin of our generation. I look at my parents and ask, where were they during the civil rights movement? I look at my grandparents and ask, what were they doing when the holocaust in Europe was occurring with regard to the Jews, and why didn't they speak up? And when we think of our great, great, great-grandparents, we think how could they have sat by and allowed slavery to exist? And I believe that our children and their children, 40 or 50 years from now, are going to ask me, what did you do while 40 million children became orphans in Africa?"
This is for you, Mom! I have mailed out a donation in your name to Hardthaven (a home in Ghana that cares for children affected by AIDS). Happy belated birthday! You can follow this link to see the adorable children that you will be helping.
Blessings, Dawn
Thank you for sharing this. My heart is heavy with the plight of orphans. I haven't read much about orphans with HIV though. I will go read your friend's blog.
ReplyDeleteBlessings
Leslie