AIDS has devastated the social and economic fabric of African societies and made orphans of a whole generation of children. Although donor agencies initially viewed the plight of orphans as a short term humanitarian disaster, they now acknowledge the long term social consequences of African children growing up without parental love and guidance. The potential for these children to form a large group of dysfunctional adults, which could further destabilise societies already weakened by AIDS, has increased the urgency of finding an effective solution to the orphan crisis.