THAT HIV/AIDS has devastated many worldover is not an overstatement.

In Zambia, the impact of the disease has left many families desolate with hundreds of orphaned children.

And as a result several organisations have sprung up to assist children whose lives have been disrupted after the death of one or both parents to HIV/AIDS.

One such organisation is the In-Community Care for Orphans (I-CCO).

Unlike the other orphanages, I-CCO does not keep orphans secluded or bundled in a boarding house but rather leaves them to integrate in the communities they live in under the continued care of their guardians.

At present, I-CCO is looking after 34 households comprising 140 orphans in Chawama catchment area.

The catchment encompasses seven townships in Lusaka namely Kuku, Kuomboka, Jack, John Howard, Misisi, John Laing and Chawama.

"We have impacted the Chawama community that more orphan households are seeking to be part of I-CCO.

In other words, I-CCO has become a household name in this community," says Roy Kaonga I-CCO chief executive officer (CEO).

I-CCO an indigenous community based development organisation was formed and registered in 1999.

Mr Kaonga says the organisation was born out of a deep Christian concern for the plight of children being left parentless due to the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the country.

Apart from providing monthly nutrition and food supplements, the organisation has other programmes such as Tovwire Orphans Education, which involves provision of school materials and fees to school going orphans.

The organisation also runs a nutritional centre, which provides lunch while the orphans are at school.

The other programmes relate to HIV/AIDS awareness and stigma campaign, Home-based Care (HBC), Orphans and family skills training empowerment , holistic camps for orphans, and the construction of OVC centre within Chawama and the identification and registration of orphans which is on going.

Aaron Zulu, 23, of Chawama Township has completed his Grade 12 with support from I-CCO, which took care of his entire school fees requirement from the time he was in grade seven.

Aaron lost both his parents at the age of 12.

His father fell sick in 1998 and died a few days later and before the year was over, his mother died too.

"Life has not been easy for me. I was born in a family of four but two of my siblings died leaving only my sister Memory and I," he recalls tearfully in an interview.

With the help of I-CCO, he and Memory (who is now in grade six) have been given an opportunity to complete their education.

"I do not remember a single moment from grade 7 to grade 12 ever being chased from school for want of paying fees.

I-CCO has been faithful in sponsoring children registered with it and this is evident from my experience and that of my sister," he says.

Patricia Banda, a single orphan has also been a beneficiary and she has just obtained a Diploma in Journalism with Zambia Institute of Mass Communication Educational Trust (ZAMCOM).

After her father died, Patricia thought all hope was lost.

Thankfully I-CCO came to her rescue and helped her realise her dream of becoming a journalist.

"My dad was the breadwinner and so when he died, it was devastating. We had no one and nowhere to run to. There was no one to pay our school fees. I even stopped school at one point.

Thank God, I-CCO came and mum registered me," she recalls.

Mr Kaonga explains that the organisation is receiving support from Christian families in the United States (US) who have adopted 51 orphans. That is not to say there has been no support locally.

Barclay Bank of Zambia, Polo Grill and the Christian community in Zambia have been helpful and have even adopted some of the children.

"Our sponsors have been very forthcoming. The only problem is that the number of orphans keeps increasing every day. "We really do not know what to do but what we do know God has a way," he says.

This has put a strain on office space. At the moment the organisation is operating in his backyard in Chilenje but construction is underway for offices in Chawama.

With the coming of HIV/AIDS, additional pressure has exerted on caregivers and guardians comprising mostly grandparents who in most instances are unable to provide sufficient support to orphans.

Some orphans have learnt to take care of their own kith and kin. "The loss of a parent to HIV/AIDS can have serious consequences as regards accessing basic necessities such as shelter, food, clothing, health and education.

Orphans often ended up , female-headed households with so many dependents than the income can sustain.

I have experienced it and I know what it means," says Patricia.

Given the increased economic burden and the need for survival, disruption of education due to non-payment of fees or lack of school uniform or in some cases poor performance becomes an automatic victim for struggling families.

It is with this in mind that organisations such as I-CCO should be supported and commended for giving orphans whose lives have been disrupted by the ravages of HIV/AIDS a new lease of life through education and social support.