The KUOW article explores a striking reduction in the number of children in southern Uganda who have lost a parent, dropping from nearly one in four in the early 2000s to just 6% by 2022, and links this trend to global HIV treatment efforts. New research suggests that U.S. foreign aid—particularly PEPFAR’s funding for life-saving antiretroviral therapy—dramatically lowered HIV-related deaths among parents, thereby preventing many children from becoming orphans. While the study highlights how access to HIV treatment has protected families and reduced orphanhood, it also raises concerns about the future of these gains amid cuts and uncertainty in global health financing, and what that might mean for children’s long-term wellbeing.