AIDS Orphans Rising: What You Should Know and What You Can Do to Help Them Succeed

By Sister Lloyd

Every 14 seconds a child-headed household is formed when parents die from AIDS. "AIDS Orphans Rising" examines the daily lives of these children and what can be done to help them. By 2010, there will... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1932690611
• ISBN13: 9781932690613
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: Loving Healing Press
• Length: 132 Pages
• Weight: 0.81 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Inspiration for all those who care to save human children from the claws of poverty and potential ab

AIDS is one of the worst threats that have thwarted humanity. In human knowledge, it has a short history; though its origin is possibly as old as humanity itself. Now in the 21st century, AIDS has become ever more terrifying in a different way than a medical condition: it is prowling on the lives of children. In her latest book AIDS Orphans Rising What You Should Know and What You Can Do To Help Them Succeed (Loving Healing Press, December 2007), Sister Mary Elizabeth Lloyd alarms the readers with the frightening figures of the world's minor population that is left orphan as AIDS continues to take their parents down. Every 14 seconds, such a tragedy occurs in some part of the world! In many developing and poor countries, the death of both parents leaves the surviving children on their own. Thus a child headed household (CHH) is formed where the orphans, many of them under 9 years of age, have to work for their survival. Those who are not left a house by their parents have to live on the streets, beg for food, and are prone to falling into crime and prostitution in order to survive. The situation is assuming the status of a crisis in African countries, particularly in South Africa and Zambia, where the governments are economically too weak to support AIDS orphans. What do these helpless children do? As Sister Mary Elizabeth explains in her book, viewing these children as totally helpless will not be so correct a view since these orphan kids have developed coping strategies of their own to ensure their survival. These range from menial labor to selling grains and nuts, and learning technical skills while continuing to go to school full time. Still, they are very much in need of help from grownups not only to live better but also for emotional support and the development of positive and fully functional personalities as they move into adulthood. Without help, they remain at a high risk of becoming a prey to exploitation and abuse. How can the lives of these AIDS orphans be salvaged? Sister Mary Elizabeth provides a complete resource guide in AIDS Orphans Rising for the readers to help them play their role in helping the poor kids who have been left on their own in the struggle for survival. The Sister ad her team are working in various parts of the world to support AIDS orphans and their efforts make an instance of inspiration for all those who care to save human children from the claws of poverty and potential abuse. AIDS Orphans Rising is a major step in this direction.

Stories for Children Magazine 5 Star Review

REVIEWED BY: Wayne S. Walker The vast majority of the books that are reviewed at Stories for Children are for children. This book is not specifically for children, but it is about children and I believe that it can be helpful to children. Most everyone is aware from the news that one of the worst health crises in our time is AIDS. One of the tragic results of the AIDS explosion is an increase in the number of Child Headed Households (CCH) as parents die from AIDS and leave their children behind. The author is a member of the Religious Teachers Filippini who has for over twelve years been helping the orphans of CCH in Albania, Brazil, Eritrea, India, and Ethiopia. She has a doctorate degree in Nutrition and Public Health from Columbia University, so she is well qualified to discuss the subject. After providing statistics to show the danger of the situation, Lloyd moves on to describe what these children themselves are doing to cope with their plight. She has found them to be resilient and courageous, especially when provided with the means to help themselves. She then explains what has been done to help them, how successful it has been, and what others can do to assist even more, citing examples of various organizations who are working to meet the needs. While pleading for donations, she does not advocate just throwing money at the problem but suggests that those who are interested check out any organizations to make sure that the funds are actually getting to the children in need. In fact, 100% of the profits of this book are dedicated to helping Child Headed Households. Parents want to teach their children to be compassionate toward others. School and youth groups are always looking for worthy projects. Adults can get the book, share with the children whatever information they believe is appropriate for their age, and then work together to come up with ways to assist. The book contains copious footnotes and an extensive bibliography for those who are interested in learning more. There is also a radio interview conducted with the author for Inside Scoop Live by Juanita Watson. This is not a "fun" or pleasant book to read, but it contains information about our world, however heart-wrenching it may be, which we and our children need to know in order to love our neighbors as ourselves.

An eye-opening inspiration

Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (2/08) "AIDS Orphans Rising: What You Should Know and What You Can Do To Help Them Succeed" is a well-researched book examining what happens to the children who are left orphaned when their mothers and fathers die from HIV/AIDS. Sister Mary Elizabeth Lloyd presents the reader with some very grim statistics. Perhaps the most shocking is that "every 14 seconds a Child Headed Household is formed." These children are left on their own with only each other as support because in a lot of cases their relatives will not take care of them or are financially unable to take care of them. According to the book "there are usually three to eight children per household." These children do whatever they can to stay together, to get an education and to survive. The strength of the children in the stories presented in this book is incredible. The sheer volume of orphans is staggering. "The data from UNICEF, UNAIDS and USAID indicates that in sub-Saharan Africa, 14 million children have been orphaned by AIDS - a number higher than the total number of boys and girls under 18-years-old in Canada, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Ireland combined. That figure is expected to reach 18 million by 2010." The book examines the dynamics of the Child Headed Household, where these children live, what they eat, how they survive and what is best for them. Most importantly though is the question of what we can do to help. At the end of every chapter Sister Mary Elizabeth presents us with a list of actions that we can take to help and support these children. She also presents us with a plethora of websites and other references that we can use to further explore the issue. I never realized how large and widespread this issue was until reading Sister Mary Elizabeth's book. She presents the information in such a way that you can't ignore it. Not only is her book well-documented, but she also speaks from her personal experience as she has been assisting orphans and Child Headed Households for the past 12 years. Throughout the book are pictures of some of these children which help to make the issue even more real. "AIDS Orphans Rising" is an eye-opening book which truly inspires you to try to assist these children in their quest to stay together and to make it in this world. Just by purchasing the book you are not only educating yourself but you are also already helping because "100% of all profits from this book will go to help the Child Headed Households."

Beautiful and Inspiring Book

I love this book. It takes the reader into the everyday lives of real children living in profoundly challenging conditions. Their parents have died, and relatives have often rejected them. They are grieving, and they are often lonely and afraid. Older children bear the burden of providing food, shelter and comfort to their younger siblings. Yet the stories are filled with hope. When we in the West think of these children, we tend to count them out. But they are determined to take care of each other, to survive and overcome their circumstances. They're finding work, however humble, and they are going to school whenever they can. They're living in the present, laughing and loving. If they have adult problems, they are also still children, capable of playing and experiencing joy. Sister MaryBeth Lloyd offers us the big picture, well documented with statistics and projections. She shows us the dimensions of the African AIDS crisis and its effect on children, but she has also filled her book with useful information on how her readers can help meet the needs of these children. And most affectingly, she lets us know and admire the children themselves. The author was a student in our Grants Training Classes, and I have tremendous respect for the work she does. She combines love for the children with a practical approach to supporting them as they grow up and take their place as the next generation of African adults. Jillian Coleman Wheeler www.GrantMeRich.com www.YourInternetCashMachine.com www.NewAmericanLandRush.com

The plight of AIDS orphans - a call for concerned action

Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (12/07) There are alarming statistics that warn "every 14 seconds a Child Headed Household is formed." Sister Mary Elizabeth Lloyd has written a guidebook to help alert concerned citizens of the magnitude of the problem and to provide the reader with answers the questions: "What should I know, and what can I do to help them succeed?" A Child Headed Household is defined as: children who have survived the death of their parents from AIDS. These households are made up of "little brothers and sisters struggling to stay alive and remain together as a family." There are often three to eight children per household. Sister Lloyd is quick to point out that the current view taken by most that these are victims dependent and powerless must be replaced with a vision of how these children have the courage to take control of their economic hardships, deprivations, and exploitation in positive ways so that they can remain together as family. It is this determination that became the motivation for Sister Lloyd to write this book. All regions of the world are impacted by the enormity of the plight of these children. India, alone, is faced with 3,700,000 children orphaned. Statistics indicate that China has 2,300,000. Other countries around the world afflicted with the same dilemma bring the total orphaned children to over 16,000,000. The book provides a broad selection of photos which depict bright-eyed children, resilient, with endurance and with promise, doing their best, struggling to stay together, taking the role of adults in caring for younger siblings. Each chapter of the book offers suggestions for actions for the reader to take as members of a growing world community of concerned citizens. Comprehensive references with additional web links to organizations working with these children offer solutions which help insure that these children will survive, and will succeed. Sister Mary Elizabeth opens her final chapter with a challenge for the reader to respond to Mother Teresa's call to action: "If I look at the masses, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will." "Aids Orphans Rising" will grip your heart. The needs will linger in your consciousness long after you have read the final word and closed the covers of the book. Sister Mary Elizabeth Lloyd has presented the case for these children. Now it is up to us, the readers, to decide which suggested action steps we can take to help them succeed.