Charles

Charles, Age 13, Rwanda

Charles lost his father to AIDS in 2005, and a year later, he lost his mother. At just 13 years old, Charles was left to care for his four younger brothers.

With nobody to care for them, Charles and his brothers were forced to beg neighbors for food to survive, and often spent two or three days without eating anything. The boys struggled to meet their basic needs of food, health and medicine.

Charles and his brothers eventually received some governmental assistance to grow manioc and beans, but this assistance was not enough to guarantee the children would not go hungry or malnourished. Thanks to the support of an organization operating in the community^*, Charles and his brothers received medical and nutritional support, an opportunity to go to school, and assistance with income-generating activities.

Charles and his brothers are on the path toward a better, safer future. Yet the vast majority of the over 15 million children orphaned by AIDS receive no external support at all. Fewer than 1 in 10 AIDS orphans received any external support. Help us ensure that more children are made a priority in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Act Now!.

_{*Charles receives assistance from FXB Rwanda}