One of my most wonderful--yet one of the saddest--memories of a recent trip to Chiang Mai is of my visit to a home where a dozen pair of tiny shoes guarded the entrance. Inside, it is nap time for the children who live in one of several modern homes for AIDS babies operated by Support the Children Foundation. It is really hot on this November afternoon, and toys lay silently in the blazing sun outside. The children are dusted liberally with talcum powder for their naps.

"These kids are either abandoned by their families, or their mothers can no longer care for them," Dr. Prakong whispers to me. It is hard to watch the children sleep peacefully and hear such terrible things without being overcome with sadness. Prakong is the feisty physician at Chiang Mai University School of Medicine who started the Foundation which runs the homes. She is known throughout the world for her pioneering work with AIDS.

"We try to give counseling to the parents to keep the families together, but often this is not possible."

Most of the children were infected before birth. While all are HIV-positive, some will never develop the disease and can eventually lead normal, healthy lives.

OrchidMania is proud to be able to provide funding to Support the Children Foundation beginning in 1997. If you love children, have experience with infant care, and are looking for one of the most powerful experiences of your life, you can volunteer at one of Dr. Prakong's homes for a month or more.