What do you see in the photo at the left? A grandma? A grandchild? A beautifully wrapped piece of fabric around the grandma's head, wrapped with an artistic flare. A grandchild whose face is happy, trusting, and content. A white scarf on the baby's head, protecting the child from the burning heat of the sun. A colorful red sweater on the grandchild; a
patterned purple blouse on the grandma. The expression on the grandma's face is serene and contented, like her grandchild.
Obviously, the grandchild is held in the loving arms of the grandmother, both of them feeling secure.
But you cannot see the sadness and sorrow that was in their faces during previous times. That is, this grand-mother lost her son to AIDS, and this grandchild lost her father to it.
Every single family that we visited in East Africa were taking care of children whose parents had died of AIDS. All the children who were AIDS orphans weren't living in orphanages. No, many or most of those children had become street orphans. If an orphan was fortunate, the orphan was living with a grandma or grandpa or aunt or uncle or older sibling who had become their primary care giver.
We experienced personal AIDS stories. That is, both the executive director and program director of LWR in Nairobi are caring for relatives who are orphans. Both families have had personal experiences with AIDS through the loss of a brother or sister. They knew first hand the tragedy of living with AIDS and the pain that this disease brought to their whole family. We met numerous grandparents, aunts and uncles who were caring for younger children as if they were their own.
LET US PRAY: Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for family, but especially for good family who are with us throughout the long days, months and years of tragedy. In Jesus Name.
