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    At asomber meeting in the village of Kalungi, Uganda, a relative holds a grieving Nakyeyune Sanyu, one of five children orphaned by the death of their mother from AIDS.In a scene being played out with grim regularity, the village elders must decide who will care for six-year-old Nakyeyune and her two brothers and two sisters, from 12 years to six months old. In the days immediately after the funeral, a godmother, Placseda Nabukalu, took them in. The stakes are high for Nakyeyune. Even though Uganda planned and managed its response to AIDS, studies there show that after the death of one or both parents, their children’s chance of going to school is halved, and they are at greater risk of malnourishment and stunted growth. The epidemic is devastating sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for 95% of the world’s 13.2 million AIDS orphans. Uganda alone has 1.9 million such orphans— that's 10% of the population. A quarter of all families are caring for a child orphaned by AIDS, a daunting challenge for the country’s mostly poor rural population. A United Nations agency — the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) — is collaborating with partners to help these adoptive families build a more promising future. IFAD’s expertise in microcredit, along with financing from the Belgian Survival Fund, support the Ugandan Women’s Effort to Save Orphans (UWESO), a small but effective grassroots organization. UWESO’s Savings and Credit Scheme enables single and adoptive foster parents to increase their incomes and provide for orphaned children. Since 1996, the Scheme has given approximately 11,500 small loans ranging from $20 to $500 in value, 97% of them to women. UNAIDS, a partnership of UN agencies, is spearheading the global fight to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. The United Nations held a Special Session in June 2001 to galvanize political leadership and mobilize resources to deal with the AIDS epidemic. According to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, "the General Assembly special session will provide us with an occasion as never before to face up to our responsibility to future generations, and take decisive action now to turn back the progress of this terrible disease." FIND OUT MORE about how the UN and its partners are fighting to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. Click on the links next to Nakyeyune. ADDITIONAL HIV/AIDS STORIES: Marita's work is just beginning Paul saves lives | Voices from the frontlines of the battle against AIDS Photo credit: Stephen Shames/Matrix |
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