Tales from the Caribbean
Writer Tim Collie and photographers Mike Stocker and Joe Amon of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel have launched an impressive new series that travels to a place that many people try to ignore, the impoverished world of Caribbean children whose parents have died of AIDS. In Sunday's first installment of "AIDS Orphans," Collie and Stocker introduce us to Charline Noel Jocelyn, a 16-year-old girl who manages to care for a brood of orphans even though her own mother died of AIDS and she never knew her deceased father. In another story, they describe the plight of restaveks, orphans who must work as virtual slaves. Collie's writing is vivid and sings with rhythm, and the photo galleries are powerful, especially because the accompanying audio retells the life of each child. But what impresses me most about this package is how the Sun-Sentinel team finds rays of hope despite the grim situation.
For another insightful look at the AIDS epidemic, check out "AIDS Orphans of Zimbabwe" by Joseph Dits of the South Bend Tribune. Dits describes the journey of Jayne During, an Indianapolis woman who flies to Africa to tend to the sick. Dits' writing is filled with great scenes such as this one describing the people During has helped:
Precious doesn't think much of the gorgeous night sky. Or the Milky Way, which shows itself like a thin veil of clouds. It's all so common to her. She'd love to see the lights of Harare, the capital city not far away, because she scoots around at night without a lantern. She cannot afford the oil.
Props to Dits' editors for giving him the time to travel to Africa to report this series.