Why Hope Is Needed

• 12 million children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa
• 3 out of every 4 children orphaned by HIV/AIDS in the world today live in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Before you fall asleep tonight, 6,000 children in Africa will lose one or both parents due to HIV/AIDS.
• Wars and violent crimes continue to increase the number of orphans and further the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Every 14 seconds a child in Africa becomes an orphan due to HIV/AIDS and when this happens, the burden of care falls to elderly family members and the oldest sibling left behind—all of them trapped in poverty. Children as young as 10-13 years old are the sole providers for their families. Because of the fear and misinformation surrounding HIV/AIDS, the children whose parents have died are frequently subject to stigmatization by their community.

Girls often have to drop out of school to care for younger siblings and may be forced to sell their bodies for food. Boys commonly become street children, turning to alcohol and drugs to numb the pain and hunger in their lives.

ZOE Ministry reaches out to orphans and vulnerable children who have been suffering in isolation, providing empowerment, relief, and the love of Christ so they may live into the future that God desires for all children.