Author Profiles American-Run Homes for Ethiopian AIDS Orphans, Tells Her Story of Adopting Child

Author Melissa Fay Greene in a New York Times Magazine article profiles several Ethiopian orphanages that are operated by U.S.-based organizations and care for AIDS orphans. According to the article, an estimated one million AIDS orphans live in Ethiopia, and most of them are homeless. Some of the children who have lost both parents to AIDS and who are not HIV-positive live in orphanages that attempt to match them with adoptive families. HIV-positive orphans, however, are "not in line for adoption; nor are they receiving medical treatment," Fay Greene writes, adding that the current average cost of pediatric triple-drug therapy in Africa is approximately $60 to $80 per month per child. Fay Greene also writes about her family's adoption of five-year-old AIDS orphan Helen from one of the orphanages (Fay Greene, New York Times Magazine, 12/22). The full article is available online.