Moment for Mission Archive

Good morning. Cheryl asked me to speak briefly about orphans and vulnerable children in South Africa to commemorate World AIDS Day, which was Monday, December 1st. I work at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a private foundation here in NYC, on its South Africa program, which makes grants focused on basic education, orphans and vulnerable children, and the impact of HIV/AIDS on development issues. I joined Rutgers almost two years ago, in part because I was drawn to this church’s strong social mission, which has included a focus on HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Facts and Figures. We have all heard the mind-numbing statistics: over 42 million people currently live with HIV/AIDS around the world, more than the population of New York and Texas combined. Over 28 million people died from AIDS by the end of last year. Globally, more than 14 million children have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS, and this number is projected to increase to 25 million by 2010. While AIDS is a global pandemic, the vast majority of people affected by the virus live in sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, there are eleven million orphans in Africa. This number is expected to double in seven years.

South Africa has the dubious distinction of being the country with the most HIV-infected people in the world, 5.3 million. Currently there are over 500,000 orphans in South Africa. This number is projected to grow to one million by 2005, and two million by 2010, which would constitute 16% of all children in the country.

Numbers are dehumanizing. It is easy to throw up your hands when you hear such statistics and think that nothing can be done, especially when many of the people who suffer are so far away. It is also tempting to deny the gravity of the crisis, which is exactly what leadership is South Africa has done until recently, as it is so overwhelming, especially to a country which has just thrown off the shackles of apartheid and is striving to build a democracy and improve living conditions for the previously disadvantaged.

The Face of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. I travel to South Africa twice a year and have been privileged to meet people facing HIV/AIDS with courage and compassion. A few stand out.

A teenage girl who dropped out of school and is struggling to raise her five younger siblings in the house where her parents lived with the family before they died. She showed us her electrical breaker box, which has long been turned off for lack of funds, and her small vegetable garden. The phenomenon of child-headed households is becoming increasingly common in South Africa. Approximately $200 keeps a child in school for a year, but many children, particularly girl orphans, cannot afford this amount.

A grandmother running after our car, begging for packages of dried soup that were being handed out to child-headed households but not to households headed by elderly adults. Grandmothers now frequently watch their children die one by one and end up caring for twenty or more grandchildren on their meager pensions. We stopped the car and gave her soup packages, although she was not on the distribution list.

An abandoned HIV-positive infant in a children’s home, pitifully thin, with oxygen tubes, his chest rising with difficulty on each breath. Many HIV-positive mothers who fear raising their children abandon their babies at birth. Small contributions can facilitate good health care and placements for abandoned infants, the majority of whom are healthy.

Pre-schoolers at projects assisting orphans and vulnerable children who clutch both my hands during site visits. I have twin five-year-old boys, so this is particularly poignant. Most children are afraid of strangers; these children are starved for affection. Letters and notes of encouragement from friends far away could make a world of difference in an orphan’s life.

The human spirit can rise to incredible heights under adversity. Many people of faith in South Africa have changed their lives to help those impacted by HIV/AIDS. A few examples.

Greg—a plastic surgeon who has donated time and money to start NOAH—a network of “arks” attached to schools that provide one-stop services for orphans and vulnerable children, including food, help with homework, counseling, and vocational training.

Heather—a successful businesswoman who gave up her job to start God’s Golden Acre—a project serving over 4,000 children affected by HIV/AIDS.

Liesl—a psychologist who started a bereavement service using play therapy for children who have lost parents to HIV/AIDS.

There are many others.

Rutgers Involvement with HIV/AIDS in Africa. Rutgers has committed $25,000 this year to assist orphans and vulnerable children in Africa through the Presbyterian Church, USA, which has a fund that supports various church-based projects in Africa that provide food, housing, education, medical expenses and other needs to orphans and vulnerable children. Earlier this year, Rutgers also gave $3,500 for a pilot project for mother-to-child AIDS transmission prevention. These are significant commitments for Rutgers, but more needs to be done. In January, Cheryl will lead an adult education class series on HIV/AIDS in Africa. This will be an extraordinary opportunity for us all to learn more about the pandemic and how we can all strive to make a difference on AIDS in Africa, which is one of the most critical issues of our time. Thank you for listening.