Of the 1.5 million orphans in Kenya, more than half have lost their parents to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Grandparents and extended families struggle to provide basic needs for these children, such as food, clothing, education and medical attention. If parents, grandparents or extended families are unable to provide these basic needs, they have no choice but to leave these children with local orphanages and community centres. Children who feel unwanted and unloved may be emotionally, physically or socially scarred, preventing them from becoming functioning members of society.