HIV/AIDS Orphans Crisis
The Orphan Criss
One of the most telling and troubling consequences of the HIV/AIDS epidemics growing reach is the number of children it has orphaned or seriously impacted. The total number of orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa is greater than the total number of children in Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Canada and Sweden. There are currently an estimated 53.1 million orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa. Of those children, 30% lost parents to the AIDS epidemic. An estimated 12% of all children in Sub-Saharan Africa are orphans. Of those children, 5.7 million were orphaned in 2010 alone
In Uganda today, the number of orphans is estimated at 2.7 million for children under 15 years. Current UNAIDS statistics indicate a number of 1,400,000 people currently living with HIV/AIDS, this number will further increase the number of Orphans. In the past, people used to care for the orphans and loved them, but these days they are so many and many people have died who could have assisted them, and therefore is a common phenomena, no strange. The few who are alive cannot support them.
There's a large increase in the number of families headed by women, Children and grandparents. This is evident in Mafubira Sub-Country Jinja District, there are 147 registered families hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, 90% of these families are headed by grandparents who have no steady means of income. Majority survive by selling banana leaves, avacados, mats, yellow bananas, Matooke, maize the list is long but earnings of these item are too small to sustain their families including taking the children to school.
Major Interventions by Africa Youth Ministries
One of the biggest challenge with orphaned children under the AIDS epidemic is loss of education due to lack of school fees or simply to look after their sick parents. Africa Youth Ministries in partnership with various donors from Canada, USA, UK, Italy, Australia has in the past 10 years supported over 15000 children, providing Scholastic materials, food, medical care, beddings, clothes, mattresses, shoes, livelihood skills, psycho social & counseling & school fees.
Africa Youth Ministries has in the past 17 years been very instrumental in providing free Scholastic materials to 9,000's of Orphaned and Vulnerable Children in Uganda under the Child Sponsorship Program in partnership with sponsors/donors etc
Low Cost Housing
Poor housing conditions are also one of the biggest challenges facing Orphaned & Vulnerable Children, in this area Africa Youth Ministries with its partners and volunteers has built various low cost Permanent structure Low Cost Housing Units to benefit Orphaned & Vulnerable Children, Families affected by the AIDS Epidemic, People Living With AIDS etc. We invite you to Join us in this cause, for as low as US$ 1300, together we can provide a decent home to Orphaned and Vulnerable Children.
A group of Canadian donors and volunteers visits some of the houses built by Africa Youth Ministries and its partners to benefit families affected by the AIDS Epidemic & Orphaned Children in Rakai District in Uganda
A group of donors and volunteers visits some of the houses built by Africa Youth Ministries to benefit families affected by AIDS & Orphaned Children in Rakai District Uganda
A group of Canadian donors and volunteers visits some of the houses built by Africa Youth Ministries and its partners to benefit families affected by the AIDS Epidemic & Orphaned Children in Rakai District in Uganda
Humanitarian & Relief Program
Without any one to provide for them clothes, many orphaned and Vulnerable Children will have no clothes, and they will move naked facing the rough natures coldness, they also go through the brunt of coldness through the nights because they have no beddings. We're very grateful to our donors and partners who have helped us and enabled us to provide free clothes, shoes, blankets, bed sheets, mattresses to such needy but lovely children.
Without any one to provide for them clothes, many orphaned and Vulnerable Children will have no clothes, and they will move naked facing the rough natures coldness, they also go through the brunt of coldness through the nights because they have no beddings. We're very grateful to our donors and partners who have helped us and enabled us to provide free clothes, shoes, blankets, bed sheets, mattresses to such needy but lovely children.
Happy Orphaned Children after receiving a donation of clothes and blankets at Kyewanise in Mpigi District.
Livelihood Project
This is a project implemented by Africa Youth Ministries providing livelihood skills to older orphaned Children preparing them to live self sustained lives. In this project Girls and Boys are trained in livelihood schemes of their own Choice, this included Art and Crafts, Knitting, Bakery, Weaving, Farming, Brick Laying, Carpentry etc. This will help them raise for their food, clothes, medical care, etc on an ongoing basis, for more details follow LINK
Training Girls in weaving palm leaves mats as a Livelihood Scheme
Training Boys in making Soap as a Livelihood Scheme
Skilling Orphaned Girls in Candle Making as a livelihood project
Fun Through Sport
Through our Sports For Social Change Project, we have been able to reach over 100,000 Orphaned & Vulnerable Children in the past 10 years. Sport is a very powerful tool that helps young people in trauma recovery and healing. It helps them find new friends, improve their self esteem, it gives them a sense of belonging and it gives them Hope & a source of Healing Fun. This is an on-going project running in different 20 Districts across the Country.
Empowering young people through the power of Sport, delivering trauma recovery and healing, & having fun, learn HIV/AIDS Prevention life skills, reproductive health skills, the list is endless!
How You Can Donate to this Project
For just US$ 23 a month, you can Sponsor a child with us in Uganda, helping relieve the burdens and pain that comes with Orphan hood, for US$ 100 per month you can support Girls and Boys to train in one of our Livelihood Projects for income generation. Donate Now! Your US$ 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 will help give Orphaned Children a meaningful & life rewarding opportunities. For further details drop us an email at donate@aym.ngo or drop us a phone call/text at +256-759-700005