It was in the middle of the 80’s when AIDS was first heard of in my country, since many people believe in witch craft, fingers were pointed to the enemies as the ones who had something to do with the disease. The peoples in my country refer to AIDS as “Silimu” which has its roots from the English word “Slim” or to be small because people who acquire the disease normally wear thin. In some countries like Botswana, Swaziland and South Africa, the effect has been so massive that in many places the effected make up to 40% of the population.

For the more than 20 years of the disease, the innocent have had to pay the cost, In the Rakai district of my county, more than  50% of the children are AIDs orphans, child headed families are increasing every day, not because children want to head families but because their parents leave this world before their children grows. Most times, the relatives grab all the possessions of the deceased leaving the children with nothing on their account.

It hurts to know that these innocent faces had nothing to do with their miserable situations yet they continue to pay the cost of what they even can’t fully comprehend. You can not expect a family of six members with the family head being 12 years to be a happy family. These poor kids continue to push through each day of their lives with much difficulty; many end up on the city streets where the conditions of life seem to be worse.

There is a time I was working on the streets of Kampala city, I saw two young kinds probably below 10 holding a very big rat, they were extremely dirty and at the look of things that was going to be their meal for the day. In Uganda, rats are not eaten and many people are disgusted by them, but these two kids seemed to have no choice , it was either to eat a rat or die of hunger. I felt so empathetic and sympathetic for them, I though about where they might have come from, and why they could not go back.

It quickly came to my mind that their homes must have been not much better, they were just innocent victims who continue to cry because of the sins they did not commit. Many of them did not get a chance of even seeing their parents who departed this life before the children could even say a single word.

People who get AID continue to get stigmatized which make many to die before there time, people thus fear to get tested, a mistake which may later have to be payed for by their children. When a family head falls ill, all the money which could have been used for children education and welfare is wholly spent on looking after the sick person; this leaves the children in a very hard situation of having to face the future without any solid foundation.

The cries from the innocent victims continue to rage on, the damage has already been done and the misery implicated. However, Hope can be placed in the hands of those still on the safe side but this will need a combination of every one in the whole world to do something about finding a lasting solution to the AIDS scourge while giving a hand to those already effected.