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India-Four to eight million people are currently infected with HIV in India. This growing epidemic is having an especially substantial effect on the orphan population. India has the largest number of AIDS orphans out of any country--approximately 2 million, according to UN estimates.Orphan Outreach wants to provide help for the growing number of AIDS orphans in India. President Mike Douras stresses the enormity of the problem."India has an emerging HIV crisis," says Douras. "That's one of the reasons why we picked India to target for orphan care."In the next two to five years, this number is expected to double."The prognosis is that India could be like Africa soon, according to UNICEF," Douras says. "Sub-Saharan Africa has 40 million orphans--13 million due to AIDS. In India alone, there are 35 million children who are classified as orphans."HIV GROUP HOME
One of the projects Orphan Outreach supports is an HIV group home in Pune, India. The home provides health care and support for orphans infected with HIV who have lost their parents to AIDS. The group home was founded by a female doctor who experienced firsthand the need for a refuge for HIV-infected children.While involved in a medical situation, the doctor saw a child sitting on the floor of a home being ignored by the rest of the family. No one would go near the child or answer her questions, so the doctor approached the child to minister to him. She soon discovered that the child was dead, and had died alone and unknown in the corner of his own home.After further investigation, the doctor found out that the child had AIDS, and his family would not go near him for fear of catching the disease."Her heart just broke," said Douras. "So she decided that there needed to be a place in Pune for HIV kids where they can get good care, learn about their disease and how to cope with that."
AIDS ORPHANS IN SLUMS
City slums are a breeding ground for AIDS and a common habitat for orphaned children.
"When you look at the orphan crisis, you have 143 million orphans in the world," says Douras. "Most of those kids aren't living in orphanages; they're living in slum areas."Orphan Outreach's mission is to provide children with the skills they need to survive. By implementing Christian schools in the slums, Orphan Outreach hopes to address the physical and educational needs of the orphans."We're really focusing on the educational aspect of these children and setting up private Christian schools in high-risk communities where orphans are living," says Douras.
"Orphan Outreach is really in a unique position to be able to begin to work with some of these children and set up the programs that can really have an impact on these children's lives and introduce them to the name of Christ," Douras said. "And hopefully [Orphan Outreach] will be able to raise them in a Christian environment and provide the skills they need to be able to do well once they grow older and become independent."Efforts are being focused towards the areas of India most affected by the AIDS epidemic, but there is still an overwhelming need for help. Douras requests prayer for the kids and ministries in India, and encourages people to get involved."We need more people to actually go and minister there," he said. "The kids are very receptive to the Gospel.""To have the opportunity to minister to them, to provide them a good education, and really provide the things they need to survive that can break the cycle of poverty in a lot of these areas. The children really are the future."
If you'd like to help Orphan Outreach with their work in India, click here.
As in the days of Noah....
