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| THE CHILDREN OF SOUTH AFRICA'S MOST SEVERE PROBLEMS: |
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Malnutrition: Deprived families and children’s Homes cannot afford enough food. The food they do buy is predominantly corn and wheat which lack protein, vitamins, and other nutritional requirements. This makes them more prone to illness and unable to withstand easily preventable diseases like diarrhea. |
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Violence and Fear: The townships of South Africa are some of the most dangerous places in the world for children to grow up. Many children are constantly afraid especially of abusive parents or violent gangs. |
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Health: The biggest health problems include: HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, fetal alcohol syndrome, pneumonia, and diarrhea/gastroenteritis. Most children do not get adequate healthcare and many die because of it. There are over one million AIDS orphans in South Africa alone. |
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Education: Although most children are able to attend school in South Africa, the standard of education is poor and ineffective. Most remain illiterate both in English and their native languages. |
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HIV/AIDS and the Family: Family has always been extremely important to South Africans.
"Almost throughout sub-Saharan Africa, there have been traditional systems in place to take care of children who lose their parents for various reasons. But the onslaught of HIV slowly but surely erodes this good traditional practice by simply overloading its caring capacity by the sheer number of orphaned children needing support and care. HIV also undermines the caring capacity of families and communities by deepening poverty due to loss of labour and the high cost of medical treatment and funerals." - Bjorn Ljungqvist of the United Nations Children Fund
Thus, the destruction of traditional family networks is such a tragedy. Many families have become abusive and negligent while others abandon their children all together. Frequently, neighbors find abandoned babies on the side of the road, in a bush, in a ditch, etc. HIV/AIDS has intensely complicated familial problems because of pervasive superstitions. Contrary to tradition, extended families refuse to take in AIDS orphans because of the fear that these HIV-negative children will give them the virus. |
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Volunteering is one of the best ways for you to personally help and make a positive change in the lives of needy children. These children are in desperate need of your help and love.
You can make a
difference! |
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