Child Profiles - "Telling
Our Stories" |
The following narratives were written by children who have
attended and been helped by the Kondwa
Day Center. The narratives
were written by the
children as part of a counseling workshop that helped the children
to deal with loss, grief and transition.
These memories of their parents are powerful testaments to the
children's courage and on- going struggles. They challenge us
to raise our awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and it's devastating
effect on families and communities.
The "Telling Our Stories" project aptly describes
the necessity of such workshops:
The HIV/AIDS pandemic has had a devastating effect on
families in Zambia. The
number of orphans is growing daily. Many of these children live in the poorest
households and do not have access to adequate shelter, food, health care and
education. Under the most difficult circumstances, many families are struggling
to provide for increasing numbers of orphaned children in their homes.
Children are suffering on both economic and emotional
levels. This suffering begins long before parents actually
die and continues long afterwards. Some children not only lose
their parents but also may eventually lose their siblings,
their homes and perhaps, most tragically, their contact with
extended families. Children are increasingly traumatized by
this new phenomenon of multiple loss and they need both psychosocial
and material support. |
Help
