South African AIDS Orphans Suffering the Effects of the Global Food Crisis

Population growth, changing diets and increased demands are global variables fueling the increase of food prices which is having a domino effect, causing increases in the price of fuel and fertilizer as well. Although the entire globe is suffering from the food crisis, the poorest countries and most vulnerable populations will suffer the most. Among the most vulnerable are AIDS orphans in South Africa. Because the price of staple foods such as wheat, corn and rice have recently spiked, the ability of aids organizations to feed these vulnerable children has decreased, showing detrimental effects on the nutritional value of meals. PlusNews reports that aid organizations cannot provide the same level of nutrition with the rapidly rising prices: "I used to grill chicken for the children, but now we can't... Yesterday, I paid R6.19 [US$0.81] for a bundle of cabbage. It used to be two or three rand six months ago."  The “food security crisis” is already decreasing the quality of life for AIDS orphans, endangering their nutritional health and threatening the reversal of progress that has been made is recent years. The food crisis is felt worldwide, but is most detrimental to the lives and health of the world’s vulnerable children, such as AIDS orphans in South Africa.