Book Release/Panel Discussion (NOV 29th): "Africa, AIDS Orphans, and Their Grandparents"
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The Ark Foundation of Africa
MEDIA ALERT Contact: Rhoi Wangila, Executive Director
202-832-5420
mailto:info@arkafrica.org
Africa, AIDS Orphans and their Grandparents: Benefits and Preventable Hidden Dangers
Washington, D.C., November 17, 2006 - On Wednesday, November 29, 2006 the Ark Foundation of Africa is holding a panel discussion and releasing their book Africa, AIDS Orphans and their Grandparents: Benefits and Preventable Hidden Dangers by authors, Rhoi Wangila and Dr. Chinua Akukwe, George Washington University. It is in honor of World AIDS Day. This event is at the Pangea Cafe at 2121 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW in Washington, DC from 10 a. m. to noon.
Ms. Wangila will sign books and all proceeds from book sales will benefit the Ark Foundation.
The book documents the crisis and struggle of aging African grandparents caring for AIDS orphans. This work is the result of a 15-year study and reports on the troubling neglect and lack of global awareness on the safety of orphaned children under the care of their grandparents. Even when African grandparents do everything they can to care for AIDS orphans, most feel severely neglected. Their status will be the focus of the press briefing and a panel discussion.
The press briefing and panel discussion, "Caring for the Caretakers: Effective Interventions for Grandparents Caring for AIDS-affected Children," will allow the press and public to speak directly with Rhoi Wangila, and Victoria Nankya a student from Uganda who lost both parents to AIDS and has been raised by her grandmother since infancy. Ms. Nankya is both beneficiary from and contributed to the Ark Foundation�s work in Africa. Also participating is Victoria Dunning, program officer for Africa at the Global Fund for Children. The panelists will address what can be done to provide support for grandparents and their orphaned grandchildren based on the book�s findings and recommendations.
WHAT: Press Briefing Book Release
Africa, AIDS Orphans and their Grandparents: Benefits and Preventable Hidden Dangers
WHEN: November 29, 2006 at 10:00 am
WHERE: Pangea Cafe
2121 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC
MEDIA: Please RSVP for the press briefing or panel discussion to: mailto:info@arkafrica.org
CONTACT: Rhoi Wangila, Executive Director
+1-202-832-5420 and info@arkafrica.org
Ark Foundation of Africa
2714 Georgia Ave, NW #200
Washington, DC 20001
About the book:
In Africa, an estimated 14 million children under the age of 18 have lost one or both parents to AIDS and the number continues to rise. Nearly one-quarter of AIDS orphans lose a parent or both parents before their fifth birthday. The book, Africa, AIDS Orphans and their Grandparents: Benefits and Preventable Hidden Dangers, reports on the 15-yeaar study that took place in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. It was written to help raise awareness about the AIDS orphan crisis in Africa and the daily challenges faced by grandparents who care for them. The authors document the crisis and struggle of ailing African grandparents caring for AIDS orphans. This work reports on the troubling neglect and lack of global awareness on the safety of children under the care of African grandparents. Even when African grandparents do everything they can to care for AIDS orphans, most children feel very neglected.
Among the key findings:
Even though grandparents feel it�s their duty to step in and help, 93% reported that the lack of money is a big problem. 48% reported going an entire day without food even with sick children and 89% give up healthcare for lack of money. 91% � admitted that they felt forgotten and neglected by society. 37% of the teenage orphans living with grandparents reported having undergone an abortion and 15% of the teens knew of an orphan who might have died of an abortion gone wrong. Many of these grandparents have reported serious physical injuries as a result of picking up and carrying sick babies.
For more information on this topic or to see excerpts from the book, please visit, http://www.arkafrica.org.
To schedule an interview with Rhoi Wangila, please call +1-202-832-5420 or send an e-mail to mailto:info@arkafrica.org . To order a copy of the book, please contact visit, http://www.arkafrica.org
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Janet Feldman
mailto:kaippg@earthlink.net