More than twelve million children in sub-Saharan Africa have been orphaned by AIDS according to a new report published by the international charity Christian Aid. Rachel Harvey reports.

14th May 2001

AIDS orphans in Africa - Christian Aid report

The statistics are dramatic and depressing. More than 25 million people in Africa are living with HIV or AIDS; 8.5 per cent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa have the virus - many of those are parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. The result - 12 million children orphaned by the disease. And in its report, entitled "No Excuses", Christian Aid says that figure will inevitably rise, perhaps to as high as 43 million by the year 2010. The Charity says an entire generation is growing up without parents, without teachers and without a future.

dramatic: something that is sudden and noticeable is dramatic

depressing: something that makes you feel sad and disappointed is depressing

aunts and uncles:formally, your aunts and uncles are the sisters and brothers of your parents - your mother and father. But the people who are married to your aunts and uncles are also your uncles and aunts

orphaned: someone whose parents have died is orphaned

Excuses: excuses are reasons why something has been done, has not been done or will not be done

inevitably: if something inevitably happens or will happen, it is the only possible result

Christian Aid is calling on rich nations to do more to help tackle the AIDS crisis and to alleviate the poverty which runs alongside it. It says an immediate commitment of three billion dollars annually is needed to provide basic healthcare and HIV/AIDS prevention strategies across sub-Saharan Africa. If not, it says, the prospects for economic development on the African continent look bleak. There are signs that AIDS is moving up the international political agenda. The UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has said the global fight against AIDS is his top priority. And just last week the United States President, George Bush, promised to contribute 200 million dollars to a new international AIDS fund. The question is whether effective action will be taken quickly enough to prevent the next generation of AIDS orphans.

tackle: if you tackle a problem, you deal with it in a determined way

alleviate: if you alleviate an unpleasant situation, you make it less serious

an immediate commitment: if you make an immediate commitment, you promise to do something without delay

prevention strategies: plans to stop something from happening

prospects: the possibilities or chances of something happening

bleak: a situation which looks bleak is unlikely to improve

moving up the international political agenda: becoming more important to governments and organisations

effective action: taking steps to achieve successful results