Project CONNECT evolved as a means to reduce the effect of HIV/AIDS on children orphaned in Southern Africa. The seed for this project sprouted as an idea in 2004 after many visits to Southern Africa and witnessing the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on children.

Grandmother with her AIDS-orphaned grandchildren

Project CONNECT improves the physical well-being and future prospects of children who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. 

The Project CONNECT vision is that children will be protected, nurtured and educated, such that they can become empowered adults able to fulfill their raison d’être (reason for being).

Project CONNECT provides support and caring directly to those affected; to help keep children in a family environment, targeting families who are not beneficiaries of government support. 

The objectives are to: 

• Develop a strategies that addresses the physical and oral health of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS 

• Develop partnerships with community-based organizations and families that support orphans 

• Develop a comprehensive and sustainable model of international assistance for orphaned children