US passes bill to assist AIDS orphans in developing countries

The US House of Representatives has approved a bill responding to the global plight of children orphaned and made vulnerable as a result of HIV/AIDS throughout the developing world. The bill will create the post of special adviser for orphans and vulnerable children in the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to better coordinate assistance in basic care, treatment for HIV-infected children, psychosocial support, school-feeding programmes, educational opportunities, and inheritance rights for parentless and vulnerable children. The 'Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act of 2005' was supported by more than 30 AIDS NGOs. The rapid spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa and throughout the developing world has dramatically increased the number of orphaned children, the American Chronicle reported.