Examining the Need

Throughout sub-Saharan Africa, AIDS has orphaned an estimated 16 million children. The widespread loss of parents, teachers, and other adult community figures often results in children being forced to care for themselves. In most cases, these children lack access to food, housing, clean water, health care, the opportunity to have a real childhood. These children are known as orphans and vulnerable children (OVC's). We mission is to provide the opportunity for these children to become more than simply orphans - more than victims, but truly become the future of a beautiful continent.

Ten Thousands Homes mission is based on the principles of "HOME." We recognize that homes are the backbone of a strong community. A home is the foundation for healthy development, a place of belonging, learning, and love - vital pieces to ending the systemic issues facing Africa. For orphans & vulnerable children, the nurturing and stability of a home is especially critical.  It is something we can all identify with - we all want to know that we are loved. Ten Thousand Homes builds the physical infrastructure for community care centers and physical homes that will give OVCs the provision, care, and refuge they need to grow and be contributors back into their communities and lead Africa into it's future.

 

 What is HIV?

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Most people who have a simple viral infection – like a cold – usually get better because the body’s white blood cells (these are the cells which fight infection) kill the virus. These white cells are like soldiers guarding the body and fighting off any invaders. The HIV virus is very clever because it attacks the white cells directly and kills them off, so that there are no soldiers to do any guarding or fighting.

When a person is infected with HIV the immune system tries to fight off the virus, but it is not able to defeat HIV. The person is said to be HIV positive.

Some people do not feel ill when they are first infected. If they do they may only have a mild flu-like illness. Some may develop a red rash or swollen lymph nodes. Many have no symptoms for a long time, but after about 8 to 10 years (although much earlier for some) the immune system becomes so weak – or 'deficient' – that it cannot fight off infections as it used to.

Eventually the infected person may lose weight and become ill with diseases like persistent severe diarrhea, fever or pneumonia, or cancer.

At the moment, in spite of much research, there is no cure for HIV.

For more information on the global HIV/AIDS crisis, you can visit

http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/od/gap/default.html

 

 What is AIDS?

HIV (the virus) attacks the very system designed to keep the body safe – the immune system. Once the immune system is damaged, it is unable to protect the body from infections. With time, bugs, which most people would be able to fight off, start to cause problems like meningitis, pneumonia and diarrhea. These infections are called 'opportunistic infections'. Opportunistic infections affect everyone who has a damaged immune system, e.g. people with leukemia. But, if you develop these infections and you are infected with the HIV virus – then you have AIDS and it is an indicator that your immune system is very poor.

AIDS is passed four different ways:

1.  Sexual contact.

2.  Sharing needles with an infected person.

3.  An infected mother passing it her unborn child before or during birth or through breast-feeding after birth.

4.  Contact with infected blood.  However it is usually through blood-to-blood contact.  AIDS is not passed through insect bites, saliva, sweat, or casual contact.

 

 Care Centers?

A care center is a home away from home. It is a resource center for a community, providing food, clean water, and education for up to 200 children at a time. It is a drop-in center for young children during the day so that their guardians are relieved to attend school or to find work. The goal of a care center is to resource a community rather than remove people from it to receive care. It has the capacity to keep families together, rather than family members going to an urban center to find work for months and even years at a time. These are community-based initiatives, with local imput and leadership.