About Cuddle the Orphans
The Cuddle the Orphans project is a small part of a Rotary initiative to combat HIV/AIDS, the single most challenging issue facing the world today.
More than 28 million people have died since the epidemic emerged in the 1970s and every day another 14,000 people are infected. In 2002, it was estimated that 42 million people were living with HIV/AIDS, two-thirds of them in Africa. More than 14 million children have lost their parents to AIDS, a number that is rising rapidly—especially in Africa. In Canada, there has been a 26% increase in new infections. Many Canadian and international agencies, including Rotary International are fighting this global problem.
Rotary has a long history of involvement with major international issues. It was the leading non-governmental organization associated with the United Nations in 1945, and it has been a major force in the worldwide eradication of polio. As their campaign against polio concludes, the organization is refocusing its global network of community volunteers to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic through its Rotary On The RADAR program. RADAR (Rotary Aids Development Action Resources) is an initiative designed to mobilize the collective resources of 1,243,400 Rotarians who are members of 31,000 Rotary clubs in 166 countries. The program will partner this Rotary capacity with other international organizations engaged in the battle against HIV/AIDS.
The Cuddle the Orphans project originated with 7-year old Paige Pedlar of Whitby, Ontario, Canada; After watching a television program about the plight of AIDS orphans, Paige wrote and illustrated a small book on the subject. She was so moved by the plight of many children her own age who no longer have parents that she decided to sell copies of her book, Who Will Cuddle Them When They Sleep door - to - door to raise money for these orphans. It wasn’t long before Paige’s book fell into the hands of Whitby Rotarian, Joanne Ashley, a retired nurse and HIV/AIDS educator.
In January 2004, Joanne introduced Paige and her book to over 1,000 Rotarians assembled in Toronto to hear Stephen Lewis, the UN Ambassador on AIDS. Lewis was eloquent and passionate about the urgent need for action. But it was tiny Paige Pedlar who reached the hearts of the Rotarians attending the luncheon meeting when she read her small book. The Cuddle The Orphans project quickly built momentum as a Rotary project supporting the HIV/AIDS work of agencies like the Stephen Lewis Foundation and Ve'ahavta, a Jewish relief and development agency that operates the Howard Hospital in Zimbabwe.
Proceeds from the Cuddle the Orphans project will be distributed among Rotary, The Stephen Lewis Foundation, and Ve'ahavta to assist them in their ongoing work helping the victims of this tragic disease.
