Leaders are urged to double African aid

Financial aid to Africa should be doubled to tackle the poverty causing the AIDS crisis there, according to Christian Aid.

In a report published to mark the start of Christian Aid Week, the agency says the world is "standing by and letting it happen" while 12 million children are orphaned by AIDS across Africa. "World leaders promise a little bit here, a little bit there, but have taken no serious action," says Ms Margaret Boden, general secretary of Christian Aid Ireland. "AIDS is fuelled by poverty, and to tackle AIDS we must tackle the poverty that allows it to thrive."

According to Sister Mary Hillery, an Irish nun who runs an AIDS care programme in Zambia which is funded by Christian Aid, the implications of millions of orphans growing up in poverty are extremely serious. "The children from this generation are growing up without parents or adult figures who can guide them. Many end up on the streets."