Mengmeng, 15
Mengmeng, 15, and her younger brother are currently under the care of their elderly grandfather, who suffers from severe edema that makes walking and wearing shoes very painful. The grandfather began helping when Mengmeng's mother divorced her father. Mengmeng's father left home months ago to find work, but the children have not heard from him since, and he has sent no money. The family owns four Mu (0.66 acre) of farmland, which their aunt helps tend even though she, too, is HIV positive. So far, she has hidden her diagnosis in fear that she will be discriminated against if others know. Presently, the children cannot afford even scratch paper for their homework, and there is no hope of having their broken-down house repaired. The total annual family income is about 1,500 Yuan ($190 U.S.).