The orphans of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is one of the countries most affected by HIV and AIDS worldwide. Around one-seventh of the adult population is affected by the disease, according to official figures. A new social fringe group are the so-called AIDS orphans – almost every fourth child in Zimbabwe has lost one or both parents. Left to their own care, they are often helplessly exposed to all forms of hunger, exploitation, violence and abuse.

Children and youths who have lost their parents to AIDS are traumatized and stigmatized. Often they are also infected with the disease themselves and rely on expensive medicine.

The number of orphans in Zimbabwe has increased dramatically in recent decades, reaching around 1'300’000. These children and youths today live with their impoverished grandmothers, alone on the street or in so-called child headed households, where they have to assume adult resposibilities of providing care and support to themselves and their siblings. They have no money to attend school and are socially isolated.

We can’t change the world - but the world of individual children

The goal of Sunny Hill Childrens Home is to break through the destructive cycle of neglect, abuse and shame and to be professional in helping these children and youths to grow up in a safe environment and attend school. In order for them to be able to shape their future lives in self-respect and to be the bearers of hope through appropriate interventions for the future society of Zimbabwe.

The government of Zimbabwe is involved in orphan care through the social services department. However, due to the lack of sufficient resources, it cannot provide fully the needed care and support. Some international relief organizations are on-site, taking care of clean drinking water, hospitals and medicines, farming issues, as well as education and the children.

However, the large number of AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children and youths in need of support far exceeds the available range of help.

Today's children are tomorrow's society

With the project Sunny Hill Childrens Home we contribute to giving these children and youths a fair and hopeful future perspective. Would you also like
to help rewrite this sad stories?

We can't promise the children to fix all their problems. But we can promise them that they won’t have to face them alone.