"I can think of 12 families that I personally see at the moment where a young teenager leads the family. Twelve- to15-year-old girls and boys," she continues, "will be
supporting four to five younger kids." There are
stories of how children left stranded without parents will have burnt
all the furniture and beds to try and keep their grandmother alive. Of
young girls who only want to commit suicide and others who will turn to
prostitution to survive starvation for themselves and families - ratcheting
the Aids cycle up one more notch.
James Whiting, a South African ex-lawyer and now director
of the Hope and Homes Charity (HHC), is accompanying Mpho on her visit
to the UK. He describes their organisation's work to help children-led
families in South Africa.
"We provide emergency food aid, small-scale business support like
hairdressing, gardening and growing produce. The main thing is to get
people on to the social welfare system. You can get benefits if you're
a foster parent in South Africa. But the problem is people don't have
official things like birth and death certificates which are needed to
access services." The HHC helps people get documents, which can take
one to three years, especially in war-devastated areas. "We are now
one of the leading NGOs working in this area, and are committed to the
fostering ethic and a holistic approach. We help about 200 children with
special needs," adds Whiting proudly.
Initially the HHC helped orphans in Bosnia, but several years ago they
started building orphanages and supporting fostering families in South
Africa. This is when they came across Mpho.
"We got to know of her as 'someone who was in the thick of things'
and she spoke out at Durban. In her work she supports about 70 children
and we help finance this," says James, adding: "Another key
reason we support Mpho so
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Mpho's Hero of the Month in the September Marie Claire
wholeheartedly is because of her holistic approach. She
looks at the whole situation."
At the recent Barcelona Aids conference, everyone was demanding more HIV
treatment
