'I believe that this could very well be looked on as a sin of
our generation. I look at my parents and ask, where were they
during the civil rights movement? I look at my grandparents
and ask, what were they doing when the holocaust in Europe was
occurring with regard to the Jews, and why didn't they speak
up? And when we think of our great, great grandparents, we
think how could they have sat by and allowed slavery to
exist? And I believe that our children and their children, 40
to 50 years from now, are going to ask me, what did you do while 40
million children became orphans in Africa?'
Rich Sterns, President of World Vision (US)
AIDS is South Africa's single biggest killer and by 2010 it may
prove fatal for as many as 7 million people. This will leave
an estimated 1.7 million children orphaned by AIDS and thousands of
others vulnerable as their family units disintegrate.
More than 90% of these children will not have HIV. They will
have the potential to grow up and contribute to South African
society. If these orphaned and vulnerable children are not
cared for, nurtured and educated, they will become a lost
generation.
Our goal is to build a global community of individuals and their
institutions who, through their time, talents and resources, aim to
secure the future of these children. We hope to achieve
this by building the capacity of community-based organisations
across South Africa to meet the basic needs of children in their
own communities.
Instead of being overwhelmed by the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS
pandemic, we believe that everyone can make a very real difference
to the lives of these children, helping them - one child at a
time.
Starfish has a vision of a brighter future for these
children and you can help make this a
reality!