(select a heading below to view information about it)

• AFRICAN CHILDREN ORPHANED BY HIV/AIDS

  • As most people know by now, the AIDS pandemic is having a devastating effect on children in Africa.  More than 12 million of Africa’s children have lost at least one parent to HIV/AIDS¹.  With 8,500 people contracting HIV on a daily basis in Africa (1,400 of whom are newborn babies) and with very few receiving ANY treatment, this is a crisis that cannot be ignored¹.  Although AIDS, in theory, is an easily preventable disease, lack of knowledge, frequent rape, and young girls going into prostitution in order to feed themselves and siblings, this is not an easy problem to fix. 

     

    These AIDS orphans do not have the many social services that American orphans can rely on.  Most orphaned children in Africa are left to fend for themselves (and sometimes younger siblings as well).  With not much notice from the government, the fate of these children is left up to philanthropic groups.  God’s Golden Acre is one of these organizations that is bearing the responsibility of giving these children hope.

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• VOLUNTEERING AT GOD'S GOLDEN ACRE
  • Starting in March 2006, I will be volunteering at God’s Golden Acre.   I will most likely be working with the preschoolers, since that is where my experience is.  Although I’m sure that I will be doing a little of everything, I hope that I can focus some on the children’s social/emotional development.  Because GGA does so well at providing the children with a safe and homey environment, where they don’t have to wonder where their next meal will come from, it is a great time to focus on how the children express their feelings, how they handle peer conflict, and how they feel about themselves.  I hope that I can focus on this aspect.

   

• USE OF THIS WEBSITE
  • I plan on using this part of my website for my “journal” while I am away.  I hope to make postings to it every few days along with possibly a photo diary as well (assuming the availability of internet access).  This will probably be my predominant way of updating family and friends on what I am doing, but my hope is that others will stumble across this page and gain knowledge of the daily struggles AIDS orphans face, knowledge that I don’t possess either right now.    

    So come back here in March 2006 to have the chance to get to know some little angels!