There are approximately 8 million children under the age of 18 living in the small and impoverished land-locked nation of Burkina Faso and over 17,000 are infected with the HIV virus, another 120,000 have been orphaned by AIDS and number that is rising on a daily basis.

Burkina Faso is one of the hardest hit West African nations with an estimated 10% of its entire population of 16 million believed to be infected with HIV. The virus first surfaced in Burkina Faso in 1986 and today the most vulnerable groups include female sex workers (of whom 59% are infected in the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou), truck drivers (approximately 13%) and prisoners (9%).

Children in Burkina Faso become infected with AIDS for very much the same reasons as all children throughout the world, however certain cultural issues and practices has made the spread more endemic. Firstly, a lack of education and awareness amongst parents and children is a major contributory factor, particularly street children who are out of education and often sexually exploited by infected adults, however most children are infected through their mother either during pregnancy or by breastfeeding.

Burkina Faso has taken the problem seriously and has set up education programs for children raising awareness of HIV/AIDS issues. As one twelve year old stated "The earlier children are informed about HIV/AIDS, the better they will be saved from the damages of the disease .... There is a future awaiting us.”

This video documentary explores HIV in Burkina Faso and the work being undertaken to address the situation.