In Zimbabwe, orphaned children traditionally are taken into the home of a relative.
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| Neighbors and home-based care givers drop in to visit orphans, who live by themselves after their parents died of AIDS. |
If a relative can't adopt the child, a friend or neighbor in their home village typically will. But the HIV/AIDS pandemic, combined with economic disaster, has overwhelmed this effective, community system. Today, surviving relatives, friends and neighbors have taken in all the orphans they are able. In many cases relatives and even neighbors who would otherwise have cared for these kids have also succumbed to the terrible scourge of AIDS.
The consequence of these circumstances is that too many orphans are left to fend for themselves. Sometimes they have an older sibling who fights to keep the household intact. Sometimes they receive care from our partners or other community-based organizations. Too often the orphans sleep in rags and scavenge garbage dumps for scraps.
Brother Brother Sister Sister's response is to augment the cultural and community systems already in place. We provide food, water, clothing, shelter, health care, and education to orphans. We attempt to do this in a setting that best connects the children to relatives, family friends, villages and communities. Our partners teach older children marketable skills so they can eventually support themselves and contribute to their communities. By working closely with local community organizations, we identify the orphans in need, and the best means to care for them. Our partner's vetting process for each child is thorough –– so our donor's contributions are well invested.
Help us by making a donation or getting involved.
