Sufferings of the Children - Cambodia
14-year-old Vichet looks healthy with his big eyes, bright teeth and tanned skin. No one would have guessed that he is HIV-positive. His parents and his younger brother all died of AIDS and related causes. Vichet now lives with his grandmother, and life is hard for them.
To Vichet, having a family has become history. Vichet is sad when talking about his deceased parents. When Vichet was five, his mother passed away, he has no memory of her face at all, "I only realised that my mother died of AIDS when my father once whispered to me saying it would be shameful if other people know about our situation." When Vichet was eight, his younger brother also died, "It was at night, we were sleeping under the same mosquito net when he died, he got serious diarrhoea and fever, and there was no medicine." Three years later, his father died as well.
Vichet added, "Every night I couldn't sleep. I feared that someone would break in and do something harmful to us." Though Vichet and his grandmother would weave some reedy mat and flowers for sale, they are not making enough money to buy food. "We have to eat porridge almost every day since there is not enough rice."
Please give these children your love and support. Here are some of their stories:
Vibol, "I always study hard. I really hope to tell other parents this message: take good care of your children and may all fathers never bring HIV home!"
In Hong Kong, most children grow up healthy and lively under the care of their families. However, this is not the case for Vibol from Cambodia who was orphaned years ago as a result of AIDS.
12-year-old Vibol is an orphan who lives with his great aunt in northern Cambodia. He and his parents all are HIV-positive; his father has already passed away and his mother left home and there has been no word since.
Fortunately, Vibol and his younger brother Virak are not infected with the disease. "Because of my father, everyone in the village calls me 'The one with AIDS.' I miss my father very much." Vibol burst into tears when he was asked about his father. "Our family is in a terrible situation as it seems that our neighbours hate us very much. Sometimes, we only eat porridge for dinner and our clothes are all worn-out..."
Agnes' husband and siblings all died or left home due to HIV, leaving behind 10 children. Agnes has a heart of gold and took them all in. Adding to her own three, she now has 13 children to care for on her own. Although she had symptoms of the disease, she was not diagnosed to be HIV-positive until World Vision sent her for tests. She is currently under treatment and is regaining her health. She is thankful to World Vision for providing her with practical support, which allows her to continue with her life. Now, she is braver and more confident about caring for her 13 children.
Nasrin became a sex worker when she was 14. Wanting to leave this "unhealthy profession," she married young to a man who turned out to be unfaithful. Having no choice, Nasrin drifted back into the profession. Several years later, when she was diagnosed with HIV, she had no knowledge about the disease. Nasrin never imagined that she would have both her feet amputated due to the severity of the illness. Ostracized because of her disability, Nasrin "hungered for love" and wanted to marry again. She ended up in a second disastrous marriage with a man who stole whatever little she had.
Three-year-old Yenziwe is too young to understand that her mother is dying of AIDS. Her mother, Khanyisile, has been bedridden for eight months. Yenziwe's father died a year ago. "I like to play outside. I like to chase the chickens," says Yenziwe. She is full of life, despite the toll AIDS and drought has taken on her family. "I love to sing at church, too," Yenziwe says, and begins to hum a song of praise. She trails off, unable to remember all the words. Her mother picks up the song, but is too weak to sing more than a line.
Kla has had a rocky life. He was infected with HIV as a baby from his mother. As the family could not afford to buy anti-retroviral drugs, his mother died soon after the delivery. Shortly afterwards, his father also passed away. Orphaned, and looked after by his grandmother, Kla spent most of his childhood in and out of the hospital, frequently missing school. He still vividly remembers the hostile faces of his classmates, "if it was not because of my grandmother, I would probably have died a long time ago." As Kla's health is deteriorating, his grandmother decides to withdraw him from school and have him help her cricket business for extra income.
39-year-old Emerence is a HIV-positive widow and a mother of five children. Her husband died of chronic illness 12 years ago. She can still recall the hard times she went through at that time. "Although my husband was diagnosed with tuberculosis, diarrhoea and malaria, I could hardly believe that I was already infected with HIV," said Emerence. Despite increasing awareness of the disease among the villagers, Emerence still faces stigma and discrimination in her community. "After my husband's funeral, no one talked to me and my family again," she expressed. To make things even worse, the family is so poor that it can hardly provide enough food for every family member. Her youngest son said, "Every day, we can only afford to eat one meal at night."- Make donations (donation form /online), to help children devastated by HIV epidemic
- Learn about how World Vision helps save the children from the devastation of HIV epidemic
- Take the quiz and read the global statistics to understand more about HIV epidemic
- Pray for the children affected by HIV epidemic
- Share the above message with your friends, let them help those children in need as well
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