House of Hope: A new home and family for children orphaned by AIDS and tuberculosis

	Five former orphans wave good-bye to their new mother before heading to school.

The little girl's name literally meant "Help me" in Sesotho, and it was clear to Dr. Hind Satti of PIH's partner organization in Lesotho that she and her two younger sisters needed help.

"It was painful to see them, the wind was so freezing, they were so hungry... [Their clothes] hardly covered their little bodies," Hind recalled.

Unfortunately, the situation of these three girls is far from unique. The pandemics of HIV/AIDS and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) threaten to wipe out a generation of adults across Africa, orphaning millions of children in the process. In the small, mountainous country of Lesotho, some estimates say that up to 30% of children under the age of 14 are orphans.

The three girls, who range in age from 10 to 6 years old, lost their mother to tuberculosis. With no one to care for them, the sisters were forced to beg for food in their village, carrying their 9-month-old baby brother on their backs. Sadly, the baby passed away soon after their mother.

 Hind's co-workers could not turn their backs on these girls when they turned up at one of the rural health centers operated by PIH Lesotho (PIHL). And so the House of Hope, a safe home for orphans, was founded in August in the capital city of Lesotho.

One of PIHL's housekeepers, a kind-hearted grandmother named M'e Leomile, agreed to serve as a mother to the girls.  Two other children, a 5 and 6-year-old brother and sister, also joined the little family after their father passed away from advanced cases of both HIV and MDR-TB. The father had initially refused to be treated for the diseases, only agreeing after PIHL staff had promised to help care for the children while he was on the intensive drug regimen, and as his condition grew worse, they promised to look after the children after his death. The promise was kept.

The children with their new mother in their new home

PIHL staff obtained birth certificates and legal documents for all  the children, procured a house for them to live in (along with M'e Lemile), and ensures that they are fed, provided with any needed medical care, grief counseling, and psychosocial support. PIHL is also helping the children attend school, which will give them the skills they need to support themselves when they become adults.
 
The children quickly took to M'e Leomile, as well as each other, says Hind. They already consider themselves a family, calling M'e Leomile "Mama" and referring to each other as brother and sister, she added.

PIHL already has other orphans on the list to join the program - three are currently MDR-TB patients receiving treatment for the disease. As soon as they are not contagious, they will join the others. PIHL is also hoping to start another House of Hope nearby.

Watch a video featuring the children of House of Hope on the player below:

[posted October 2008]