AIDS is obliterating middle generation in India, leaving orphans

[Liberal_in_LA]

This is your new normal.
I met Yesu’s family while traveling throughout India, researching the country’s AIDS epidemic and its debilitating effects on children for my book, "The Weight of Silence: Invisible Children of Indi"a. Vambay Colony was most striking because of what was missing: the middle-aged population. What was happening here was happening in hundreds of towns and villages across India in a slow, silent obliteration. The country has the most AIDS orphans of any in the world, and as many as 40 percent of them live with grandparents in the wake of the epidemic’s impact on the middle generation.


I want to see through to eighteen, but if something happens to me, what will become of them?
— Durgamma, grandmother of Yesu Babu and Venugopal“It is very hard taking care of my two grandchildren,” Durgamma tells me. Her face is deeply lined, her hands like delicate parchment paper as she holds them to her head. “I am only one. I want to take care of them, but it is difficult. I want to see them through to 18, but if something happens to me, what will become of them?” she asks, her brow etched in a permanent expression of worry.


Read more: India's new untouchables: Children living with AIDS | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/mumbai/life/india%E2%80%99s-new-untouchables-652639?TrackID=obpaid#ixzz0w8bt1wmX

[aquart]

1. I've heard about AIDS in Africa, Russia...

Makes me feel dumb because I can't remember reading a word about AIDS in India. Logic tells me that of course it's gone everywhere, but that it was this huge in India...how did I miss this?

[Arkansas Granny]

3. Like you, I knew that there were millions of AIDS orphans in Africa, but

I was not aware that the problem was so great in India.

[enlightenment]

2. I don't know if you're familiar with

the 'Sharpe' series (books and UK TV) but one of the actors, Daragh O'Malley, has started a charity to try and help the growing number of orphans and street kids in India (and other places). He calls it the "Sharpe's Children Foundation" . . .

You might want to pop over and take a look at what the charity is trying to accomplish:

http://www.sharpeschildren.com/

He's a good man and totally committed to this project. If you agree with what he is doing, please spread the word.

[edgrosvenor]

4. If you want to help them out... or any other good cause

My company just set up a Facebook application that facilitates crowd funding for good projects through a Click to Give program. Without getting into too much detail (don't want to turn this into an ad for us), we sell fans to Facebook page owners and then turn those page's "Like" buttons into a fund-raising tool, paying 2 cents per click of the Like button to a good cause or project.

So this isn't an ad for selling fans. We have plenty of sales. I just want to let people know that there's a great opportunity out there now to raise money for good causes without having to ask people to open their wallets.

The Facebook app is at http://apps.facebook.com/clicktogive

You won't have to authorize the application to see what it's about. Only to set up a cause or actually click to donate. We're trying to keep this all as transparent as possible because I know there's a whole lot of fraud in the fund-raising world. So my contact info is on there. Call if you have any questions.

[enlightenment]

5. Interesting!

Will it work for a UK based charity?