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December 1 is World AIDS Day
Photo by Sean Sprague, PANOS
Hidden suffering
Because of stigma and discrimination, HIV and AIDS have forced children into adult situations they were never taught to face. This 10 year-old girl cares for her dying mother in Tanzania. According to UNAIDS/WHO Global Report (May 2006) statistics, by the end of 2005 the epidemic had left behind 15.2 million AIDS orphans defined as those aged under 18 who have lost one or both parents to AIDS. These orphans are vulnerable to poverty, exploitation and HIV infection. They are often forced to leave the education system to find work and sometimes to care for younger siblings or head their families. “Children do not become orphans when their parents die; they become orphans as their parents are dying.”
—Stephen Lewis, 2004 General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada.
