Rojina and Sushmita

We just took in two girls into one of our homes; they are sisters and their names are Rojina and Sushmita. Rojina and Sushmita come from a village in Dhading, where their parents and a younger brother still reside. When they were still in their village, Rojina took care of the cow while Sushmita looked after her younger bother who is just a year old. Rojina, when she was just 8, came to Kathmandu and worked as a domestic worker looking after an elderly couple.

Rojina and Sushmita like to read, write and play and dance in the rain. Rojina likes the colors red and white while Sushmita likes red, blue, black and white. Their favorite animal is the cow, an animal they had to look after back in their village.

Both their parents have HIV and their mother is very sick. When asked what they want to do when they grow up, they replied that they want to look after their parents.

Although less than 1 percent of Nepal's adult population is estimated to be HIV-positive, an UNICEF report estimates that there are more than 13000 children orphaned by HIV/AIDS in Nepal. The national estimate of children (0-14 years) living with HIV/AIDS is about 2500. The most vulnerable are the street children. [Source]