The following letter to the editor appeared in The Christian Science Monitor on Wednesday, October 3, 2007.

Support Needed to Raise AIDS Orphans 

Many thanks to the Monitor for the series "Africa’s AIDS orphans," which draws attention to the plight of these orphans and the families who so courageously stretch themselves to care for these children. Whenever possible, orphans must be kept with their families and communities to ensure the social fabric of societies remains intact.

Orphanages should be a temporary, last-resort solution. Estimates from UNAIDS project 15.7 million AIDS orphans in sub-Saharan Africa by 2010. Additional expenses for taking in an orphaned child heavily tax families already struggling with poverty. The international community must ensure that family members who care for the majority of orphans in the developing world have the resources and support needed to raise these children: day care, schools, clinics, and community centers, as well as income-generating skills. Children want to be in families, and these kids need the foundation that only a family and a community can provide, to give them the best shot at succeeding.

Jennifer Delaney
Washington

Executive Director, Global Action for Children

Click here to link to the letter.

Click here to read The Christian Science Monitor‘s series on Africa’s AIDS orphans. 

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