Grace is 5 years old. Her father was a drunkard and recently died of HIV/AIDS. Her mother had earlier abandoned the family because of poverty and her father's drunkenness. She was left to the care of a poor step mother but has suffered neglect and starvation. Madinah is 4 years old. She lost her father in a traffic accident. With 5 other siblings the mother who only digs for a living could not afford to sustain the family. The youngest daughter in a large Muslim family, Madinah is visibly malnourished has suffered starvation a and neglect.     Patience, 6 years old, lost her mother to HIV/AIDS when she was an infant. Her father is unknown. Patience had been living with her peasant grandmother who was also caring for several other children with no meaningful source of support. Stella is 3 years old, the youngest in a peasant family of 7. They lost their father to HIV/AIDS in June 2010. The mother has a speech disability and fully dependent on the land for food and meeting all the family needs single handedly.

A group photo of the new children. April, 2011.