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Orphaned siblings work together
August 21, 2007
After the loss of both his parents to HIV/AIDS in 2004, Georgio had to step up and become the head of the household at eighteen and start to care for his four siblings in their native home of Maputo, the capitol of Mozambique. Georgio works hard enough to insure that his siblings have enough to eat, clothes and school fees paid. He does so through his work of carpentry which monthly provides him with somewhere between 700 - 1000 MT which is about 40 USD. However the siblings are alittle fortunate that their parents left them behind a home. Even though the house was in need of a lot of work, with the help of SOS Social Center Maputo they teamed up to repair their home.
“Almost half a million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS. More than twelve percent of the population between the ages of 15 and 49 is estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS, as are more than 90,000 children under age 15.” With that Georgio explains “I don’t want them to continue living in the same misery that started after the death of our parents, and I believe that education is of great importance for our future success.” He insists that his siblings attend school, and not miss a day of their education. And with his great managing skills Georgio managed to insure that none of his siblings missed a day of school during the renovation of their home, and still one of them was always available to assist with the work.
SOS Social Center in Maputo not only helps children renovate homes, but they also provide them scholarships. They seek to help orphaned children and their siblings to understand their legal rights as orphans, children rights in general and educate them about the risks of HIV/AIDS. They also help orphaned sibling families establish a business that will provide for them in the future.
As Georgio continues to be the head of the household, caring for his four siblings, with the help of SOS Social Center Maputo, he no longer feels the hardship of being the house hold. He counties to care for his siblings and insure that they are provided with all their needed necessities and attend school regularly.
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