'AIDS is no longer just a disease, it is a human rights
issue. It affects people of all ages, but in particular it
affects young people. Young people in Africa. For the
sake of all of them, we must act and act
now.'
Nelson Mandela
In 2001, an estimated 4.7 million South Africans were living with
HIV. The number of children under the age of 15, who had been
orphaned by AIDS, had increased tenfold within five years to
662,000 (UNAIDS).
Sitting in a London coffee shop in May of that year, a group of
young South Africans began to harness the power of a single
idea: each one of us can make a difference in
the lives of the orphaned and vulnerable children of South
Africa. The concept is one simply expressed in Loren
Eisely's story 'The Star Thrower' and has become the
inspiration behind the growing Starfish movement.
A succession of events followed culminating in the UK launch of
Starfish at the South African High Commission in London in December
2001. The charity was officially launched in its
home country on Freedom Day 2002.
Gcinasapho Rural Outreach Programme was the first beneficiary,
receiving £2,500 to feed 500 children.
We've now got growing teams in South Africa and the United
Kingdom, as well as volunteer chapters in both the United States
and Canada. Starfish has made a significant impact
in 111 community based projects across all of South
Africa's nine provinces. Today, 28,466 children are
being supported by Starfish (as of end of second quarter 2008).
The intention is to ultimately extend our support
throughout sub-Saharan Africa in years to come. However,
the first priority is to scale up our response to reach many more
children in South Africa...
Updated 6 August 2008
Anyone, anywhere can make a difference - join us
today!
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