The number of orphans is likely to increase, as more parents fall ill and die. A country already crippled by poverty and debt, Zambia is facing overwhelming challenges, as a generation of young people prepare to grow up without the love and support of their parents. Although the majority of orphans are still being absorbed by the extended family, the number of children living or working on the streets is estimated at more than 90,000 and growing. Efforts are under way to develop policies and strategies to increase the ability to cope with the disease. These photos were taken by Jeremy Horner, Panos Pictures, on a recent visit to Zambia to coincide with the launch of The Progress of Nations 1999 .
Many children experience the pain of watching their parents die one after the other.
Hospital beds are filled with young people suffering from diseases such as tuberculosis. Graves at the main cemetery in Lusaka, Zambia's capital. Children who are infected with HIV at birth or though breastfeeding are unlikely to reach their fifth birthday. Those who begin their lives free of HIV face the threat of infection as they reach puberty and become sexually active. A mother buries her child at the main cementry in Lusaka, where there is a constant stream of funerals every day.