Abstract:
By the year 2002 14 million children had been orphaned globally
because of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. A great number of these have
become the heads of households, are forced to look after
themselves and siblings, drop out of school, are vulnerable to many
forms of abuse and have found work to take care of themselves and
their siblings. Misinformation, ignorance and prejudice concerning
HIV/AIDS limit the willingness of a community to provide for the
orphans who have been affected by the disease. This article aims to
address the question why this is also the case in South Africa and
why the African philosophy of “ubuntu” (humaneness), does not
seem to make a difference. This study build upon fieldwork
undertaken in the Bophelong area among HIV/AIDS orphans who
function as heads of households and children who have been
orphaned due to circumstances other than HIV/AIDS. The article
concludes that religious communities can fill the gap left by the lack
of “ubuntu” and can play a major role in nurturing HIV/AIDS orphans
who function as heads of households. Churches can build a
supportive environment where HIV/AIDS orphans and other
vulnerable children can feel accepted.
