Description
In front of the small brick house Dennis and Chrissi brush their teeth every evening in the dim glow of the oil lamp. The 10-year-old watches his little sister conscientiously as they get ready for bed. Since their mother died of AIDS two years ago they are both orphans, two of more than two million of their kind in Uganda. There are few countries in Africa that have more households run by orphaned children and, despite extensive efforts by the government to raise awareness, experts on the subject predict that nearly 35% of Uganda’s population is infected with HIV. When the parents die, the children are forced to look after themselves.
A very special project has emerged in Uganda as a result: Memory Books, written by infected parents, mostly mothers, and their children. Aware of the illness, it is a way for the family to come to terms with the inevitable death that it faces. Openly, honestly and compassionately, the books give the children a chance to prepare themselves for life on their won. Values and traditions are passed on in the form of stories, fairytales and songs, and the family’s history is recorded with the children’s favourite memories of their parents’ wishes for the futures.
These books will likely be the most important guidelines that these orphans have to lead them through life.
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