Grandparents and AIDS Orphans
03/19/2007 at 9:00 a.m.
Africa is considered the "global epicenter" for HIV and AIDS according to the UN agency, UNAIDS. Approximately 12 million African children have lost a parent, sometimes both. What happens to these kids? Despite poverty and age, grandparents often step in to the parental role. How do they handle the grief of burying their own children, and still raise the little ones let behind? Is love enough? Today we speak with two women working in Africa at the ground level. They have witnessed entire villages altered by AIDS. What are they trying to accomplish? What are the victories, and the remaining shadows? What can be done?Guests:
Rhoi Wangila is the executive director of the Ark Foundation of Africa and author of Africa: AIDS Orphans and their Grandparents.
Loyce Mbewa is the Founder and President of the Rabuor Village Project, a local non-profit that works to create sustainable, community-based solutions to help with the hardships HIV/AIDS causes. The organization focuses on her hometown of Rabuor, Kenya. In prior years, she worked with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
