Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Sunday Times - Friday, 3 September, 2004
A generation will grow up with no one to pass on culture, values, tradition, knowledge and all the qualities that make us rounded human beings.
Most of the response to the Aids epidemic has been on prevention and access to drugs to prolong the lives of the infected. This is all well and good, but it is not enough. To expect a 15-year-old to act as both mother and father when they are in dire need of mothering and fathering themselves is a dereliction of our moral duty and constitutional obligation to provide all children with shelter, care and education.
The vulnerability of Aids orphans begins from the time they are forced to watch their primary caregivers wither away with the disease, when they have to endure the rejection and social isolation that the stigma of Aids leaves in its wake. Financially desperate, with no adult guidance or emotional support, they are most at risk of dropping out of school. They are vulnerable to exploitation, be it child labour, prostitution or sexual abuse.
It is time to act. In the words of the United Nations Children's Fund executive director, Carol Bellamy: "We need to move beyond feeling beleaguered to feeling outraged by the unacceptable suffering of children."
Even today our state has no policy in place to ensure that Aids orphans are given the chance in life they deserve. There are not enough social workers to monitor children who are battling to clothe, feed and take care of their younger siblings.
Social welfare policy is based on the premise that orphaned children should be integrated into their communities or extended families, as opposed to being placed in institutions. But this does not account for the many instances when the entire family structure has been ravaged by disease, death and poverty. In these cases, the state has a responsibility to fund institutions or orphanages which can provide excellent care until suitable foster homes are found.
The bottom line is that not one of us can afford to ignore the plight of these children. They do not need just our pity or charity. They need love. They need human beings who care, who will give them not just money or handouts but time.
Time to help them deal with the trauma of losing their parents, time to assist with their schooling, time to nurture them so they become adults with a sense of self-worth.
It is our responsibility as individuals, communities, business, government and civil society to sew this gaping hole in our social safety net. We can form community-based circles of support and we all need to think seriously about fostering, adopting and providing mentorship.
Of course we should also be digging deep into our pockets.
The Sunday Times today commits itself to being part of this movement of caring South Africans who will not stand by while this catastrophe unfolds.
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