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Home > Projects and Programs > HIV/AIDS Prevention > Aklilu's Story
HOPE International Development Agency is helping children orphaned by HIV/AIDS.
This picture was taken at a very emotional moment for Tibebu Bekele, HOPE's African Director. He writes this about the experience:
"Aklilu is an orphan. His mother, on learning that she was HIV positive, completely lost her mind. One day, she took him to the market and then disappeared into thin air. He has not heard from her since that day, and nobody knows where she is. Aklilu's next-door neighbour took him in. She is a single Mom with three kids of her own. She supports her children with a monthly income of only 40 dollars a month."
In Sub-Saharan Africa more than 12 million children have lost at least one parent to AIDS. Aklilu is a part of HOPE's ongoing work to support children who have been orphaned because of HIV/AIDS. David McKenzie, HOPE's Executive Director, met Aklilu this summer. He was so moved by Aklilu's story, that he promised him that he would make sure that he gets an education.
Please support HOPE's work with children orphaned because of AIDS.
Connect directly with a child orphaned by AIDS through HOPE's Building Family Ties.
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 - Poverty increases a persons vulnerability to HIV infection.
- HIV/AIDS depletes families and their communities of the social assets and structures needed for successful prevention and caring for persons living with HIV/AIDS.
- By the year 2010 it is predicted that as many as 40 million children in developing countries will have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS.
- More than 90 percent of all people infected with HIV since the beginning of the epidemic are in the developing world.
- In sub-Saharan Africa more than 7.4 percent of the population between the ages of 15 and 49 is estimated to be infected with HIV.
- Two-thirds of the world's HIV infections have occurred in sub-Saharan Africa.
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