The burden of care falls mostly on the families and children of those who are ill. Often they have already lost a breadwinner and the few resources they have left are not enough to provide care for the ill person and food for the family. Families also suffer the daily stress of looking after someone who is ill and, in some cases, facing death. Many children, especially older female children, have to leave school to look after ill parents.

Children who are orphaned are often deprived of parental care and financial support. More and more orphans are living in child-headed families where no-one is earning an income. Many of them leave school and have no hope of ever getting a decent education or job. These children who grow up without any support or guidance from adults may become our biggest problem in the future. They are more likely to become street children or turn to sex work or crime as a way of surviving.

Older female relatives, mostly grandmothers, are the most likely to take in orphans. Many of them survive on pensions and already live in dire poverty. When their children die and they become responsible for grandchildren, they get a huge extra financial burden, and at the same time they lose the financial support they may have received from their children. Although there are certain grants available for caregivers that are taking care of orphans, they may not be sufficient.

(See: Social Grants)