Abstract

Of the 16 million children to have been orphaned by AIDS worldwide, almost 15 million live in sub-Saharan Africa. Hope Amidst Despair focuses on these children and those who are made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS.

Of the millions affected, many live in deep poverty, experience little schooling, have unmet health and psychological issues and bear the burden of stigma. Their plight is often ignored and, as a result, they lead lives of isolation and exclusion that threaten their futures. The book gives voice to HIV/AIDS orphans, allowing them to tell their stories and explain the challenges they face. Susanna Grannis, founder of CHABHA (Children Affected by HIV/AIDS), shows through first-hand experience and research how young community leaders can, with help, effectively promote children's wellbeing and independence. Readers learn of the complexities and possibilities involved in positive development through the analysis of data on children from five different countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

This will be an essential title for HIV/AIDS campaigners, students of development studies, policy makers, donors, and anyone concerned about the welfare of children in developing countries.
'An unsentimental and realistic assessment of the desperate situation of children in sub-Saharan Africa affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Thus when the author says there is hope despite the hopelessness we must believe her'
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
'The stigma attached to the disease may be diminishing, but children's grief at their parent's death remains raw. It's a sensitive and informative book'
Emma Guest, author Children of AIDS: Africa's Orphan Crisis (Pluto, 2003)