Orphans in Uganda
Traditionally, in Uganda, the immediate family and also the extended family have been responsible for the care of the children surviving the death of a father.
Moreover, in this tradition the widow was then taken by a brother of the deceased husband.
Modernization, many years of war, and the outbreak of AIDS have quickly brought the traditions to a sudden halt as the family members have been confronted by an overwhelming number of orphans for whom no one could adequately care.
Now this task can only be handled by the Church and the NGO’s.
Depending on the standards for counting, if a child has lost one or both parents, or is of primary or secondary school age, the number of orphans is between one and two million, or 7% of the population!
According to avert.org the number of orphans due to HIV/AIDS is 51%
A second contributing factor however is MALARIA.