These children's charities bring hope to Africa's orphans

There are many reputable children's charities working tirelessly in Southern Africa and around the world to bring a semblance of normality into the lives of the children, orphans and homeless children affected or infected by HIV AIDS.

It is not just for the children that they work, but for the future they will have lost, if they have not benefited from both the socialisation that a family and community brings and the prospects that education affords. These are fundamental rights that we as a world community expect for all our children.

These far-seeing children's charities understand and plan, not just to give the AIDS orphans and homeless children the basics today, but to ensure that the future of these countries is not shaped by disaffected, uneducated and unhappy adults. ( Photograph above, right: SOS Children)

Many of them have come up with novel and innovative ways to provide the care the children need to feel part of a community, achieve a level of education and maintain a reasonable standard of health, particularly if they are infected with the HIV virus. They deserve our support.

CHILDREN'S CHARITIES

Here are some of the other great organisations involved in this work:

Acres of Love is a South African based organisation whose mission is to provide the most vulnerable affected and infected infants and children with the highest possible quality of care, and with love, a strong early childhood development foundation, a community-based safety net and hope.

Childline is another UK-based charity working on child abuse and general children’s issues. Its South African program covers HIV AIDS issues, as well as many of the childhood problems associated with poverty, disease, death, divorce and violence.

Home of Hope is a Zimbabwe based charity whose mission o help develop the home into providing the highest quality of care for the resident children, and to ensure transparency and economy in the administration of the home. http://www.hivaidszimbabwe.com/projects/home-of-hope

Hotel Hope Hotel Hopeis a childrens’ charity set up to house abandoned children or orphans infected or affected by HIV AIDS in family style homes, complete with God-parents and Aunties, Uncles and Grannies who will love and role-model values to the children in our care.

SOS Children, is a UK based children's charity, whose strategic goal for the next eight years is to help a million child sponsors give a million children a family life. Of these, one hundred thousand will be given a new family and home in an SOS Children's Village and nine hundred thousand, who might otherwise be homeless children, will be able to grow up within their own (extended) family with our support.

SOWETO Comfort Club Children SOWETO Comfort Club Children, is a South African based organisation which is run through a number of Catholic Church parishes and among other work is involved in collecting and distributing the squares knitted for Knit-a-square to make into blankets for the AIDS orphans.

World Vision is an international children's charity whose vision is "For every child, Life in all its fullness." http://www.worldvision.com.au/emergency/zimbabwe

Zimbabwe Aids Orphans is an UK based organisation whose vision is to positively transform the lives of orphaned children through educational based programs. www.zimbabweaidsorphans.org

There are other children's charities too also working hard to provide love, shelter, education and food for these children in need. And many praiseworthy individuals too, like Chirpo Makowi Fandera, who looks after 25 AIDS orphans.

We hope Knit-a-square will inspire the knitters of the world to do a wonderful job in providing warmth for the Aids Orphans of Southern Africa.

So please knit a square (or more) soon and send them to Africa to make up blankets for the children. Subscribe to Square Circle for stories of the children's charities, the children, their blankets and you, the square knitters.

Knit-a-square, as listed in the Charity Guide.