World AIDS Orphans Day

The reality of AIDS and orphans can be overwhelming to those of us who live quite comfortably each day:

• Nearly 25 million children worldwide have lost one or both parents to AIDS – equivalent to the number of people living in New York, Paris, Rome and Bangkok combined. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, over 12 million children have been orphaned by the pandemic.

• Experts believe that millions more orphans remain unaccounted for in India, China and Russia.

• By 2010, the number of AIDS orphans worldwide is expected to increase by tens of millions of children.

But what can we really do in the face of such overwhelming numbers? Maybe we can’t fix everything by next Wednesday, but we can at least start on it. If you want to make a difference on Wednesday, here’s where you can start:

• Attend or Host an Event: Attend or host a World AIDS Orphans Day event. Events can be big or small. Invite your family, friends and neighbors to take part.

• Submit a Letter to the Editor to a Local Newspaper: A letter to the editor is a great way to raise awareness of the orphans crisis. Need ideas on what to write about? Here are some from the World AIDS Orphans Day Web site.

• Spread the Word to Your Friends and Neighbors: Tell your family and friends to support World AIDS Orphans Day. The more people involved, the easier it will be to address a big problem like this.

• Get Your Mayor to Sign the Proclamation: More than 800 mayors have shown their support for World AIDS Orphans Day by signing proclamation. Make sure your mayor joins us.

Now is the time to stand up. Now is the time to raise your voice.

About this article:

This article was put together with the help and good ideas from the people at World AIDS Orphans Day, an FXB initiative.