Kingshuk Partha
An orphan is someone whose parents have died, unknown or have permanently abandoned them. Commonly, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. The world would have been a nicer place if no children had to live without their parents.
No tender minds would wake up in the middle of the night feeling scared about what would happen the next day. But the world is not so nice. So we have wars, famines, epidemics and poverty wreaking havoc on our life and leaving thousands of orphans in their wake every year.
UNICEF estimates, there were over 132 million orphans in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean in 2005. Their number, understandably, would be greater by now.
It shows, every 2 SECONDS a child becomes an orphan, 8 out of 10 children orphaned by AIDs live in Sub Saharan Africa, 400,000 orphans die every year of malnutrition, 20 million children are orphaned in India, 99% of orphans will never become adopted, There are estimated over 1.2 million trafficked children each year globally.
Many orphans around the world are exploited as cheap labor when they are forced to fend for themselves. This lifestyle not only robs these children of their childhoods, but also limits their potential to grow and reach for a brighter future. They are a particularly vulnerable group, and they need our support, which means both individual and state initiatives are needed to reduce the risks and vulnerabilities that they are exposed to.
Part of their attention has been focused on getting the United Nations to allocate a specific day for the orphans - World Orphans Day - on April 20. If we can support them, one day all orphans can dream to become the next Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein."Orphanages are the only places that ever left me feeling empty and full at the same time."
John M. Simmons
Feature and Photo- Kingshuk Partha