AIDS and Comfort

Photograph by Gisele Wulfsohn/Impact Visuals

In South Africa, home to one of the planet’s most virulent AIDS epidemics, more than 3.2 million people are infected with HIV, and new infections occur at a rate of more than 1,500 a day. That number includes many infants and children, whose infected mothers inadvertently have exposed them to the AIDS virus. Within a decade, average life expectancy in South Africa is expected to fall from about 60 years to 40.

The cost of effective medical treatment is out of reach for many South Africans — and especially for children. As a result, many youngsters with HIV find themselves orphaned or abandoned by their families, facing a bleak future.

At the Diana, Princess of Wales Mohau Children’s Care Centre, in Pretoria, staff members and volunteers hug, comfort, and play with the resident children, many of whom have AIDS or other life-threatening illnesses.

By combining medical treatment with emotional and physical support, the center tries to raise the spirits of its young patients.

Many volunteers are members of the local Anglican church; some come from embassies in Pretoria. The work often can result in strong bonds: Several children have been adopted by their caregivers.

Here, a volunteer plays with a young patient.