Kenya's Orphans
AIDS hits children hard and from all sides.The physical needs of AIDS orphans can often seem most urgent, but we saw firsthand the forgotten emotional toll. Added to the grief these kids experience by losing a parent is shame, fear and rejection.They can face social isolation and be refused school enrollment and health care.
Families are fragmented, siblings separated and, often, the grieving child is thrown into a caregiver role. In such a vulnerable position, these kids can suffer neglect, exploitation and abuse.
In an orphanage we visited near Meru, the Sister in charge told us that some babies there had been literally thrown away--left in pit latrines, garbage dumps and the forest. The nuns care for these kids as best they can, but there are just too many of them to provide all the emotional support and affection they need. What these kids wanted from us more than anything was to be held.
We also visited a program run by a local priest for street kids. These boys had either been orphaned, abandoned or had run away from abusive homes. Unlike the little kids who clung to us at the orphanage, these kids were wary, and you could see that they had no trust left for adults.
According to a UNAIDS report, there were 12 million AIDS orphans in Africa in 2005, with 1.1 million of these children living in Kenya. Shockingly, this number accounts for less than half the orphans in Kenya. My friend Rita Balachandran's orphanage in Marimba will provide homes for 200 of them.
At right and below, Rita (in white t-shirt) and Father Vincent Lee with orphans. Bottom: The Street Kids Centre near Meru, Kenya.
 |  |  |  |
