The AFC Children’s Home is currently comprised of a single house located in Addis Ababa which serves as a home for 16 children and the AFC administrators. The house includes a dormitory bedroom, kitchen pantry, dining room, medicine room, and study room. In order to ensure proper medical care, a nurse oversees the medicine dosing regimen and attends to minor illnesses and non-emergency first aid details. Because of the immune-suppressed status of the children, a sterile environment is maintained as much as possible. AFC ensures that all living arrangements are provided, including supplying clothing, toiletries, personal items, beds, bedclothes, transportation costs, school costs and supplies, medical appointments, and medicines.
In the year 2005, 800,000 children in Ethiopia were orphaned by AIDS. By the year 2014, however, there will be an estimated 2.5 million. Currently, organizations designed to care for orphans have reached maximum capacity, and the pace of their expansion does not match the increasing demand. In addition, only a small number of these agencies accept HIV positive children, and even these few have numerous restrictions (such as age, disability, etc) that limit the children accepted. Younger children have a much better chance of being placed in a residence than older ones, and those above the age of 8 have virtually no chance of being accepted.
While these children have the potential to become functional, effective members of society, they require additional help in developing this prospect. With prompt and continuous medical treatment, proper nutrition, and a sanitary living space, the lifespan of a child may increase by decades. Lacking the appropriate treatments, however, many will not even live 3 years after contracting the virus.
Artists for Charity has willingly accepted the responsibility of raising HIV positive orphans under the following criteria:
HIV positive children between the ages of 8 and 15 that have lost both parents (double orphans). HIV positive children in extenuating circumstances, such as extreme impoverishment or abuse (physical, sexual, or mental), regardless of age.
