UNICEF estimate that around one million children lost one parent in the war with some 300,000 losing both parents. A further 50,000 have been orphaned through AIDS, whilst 17,000 children aged under fifteen years old have the illness themselves. Many of these children headed towards the cities where they eke out a life on the streets.

Its a sobering fact that whilst physically 45% of children in Angola suffer from malnutrition, emotionally around half of all children in the worst war torn areas of Angola have been shot at, lost their homes, or seen neighbours and members of their families killed.

Worse still, during the war years, an estimated 300,000 children were recruited by both government and rebel armed forces to be used in such macabre ways as slaves, human shields and mine detectors as well as killers. Today, with nearly half of Angola's population aged under 15 years old, the situation is better, though those scars run deep.