Africa's Nine Million Orphans

It is difficult to fathom this number: twice the number of the population of Houston, all children, all alone. Motherless. Even if only a fraction of this number is true, as I have no way to verify it, the number is exceedingly sad. Thousands and thousands of children fending for themselves.

Where are the fathers? Are these children all born to unmarried women? Or are the fathers already dead? The sub-continent will be consumed. Uganda fares best, it seems, though some dispute this.

Societies where men view women as property are not inclined to use condoms, are they? The only men in those societies who use condoms, do so for self-interest. But most men seem more interested in an "unimpeded" experience than a "safe" experience. Safety and young manhood rarely go together which is why we enjoy such things as sky-scrapers and the Hoover Dam. The problem in some parts of the world, including here in the U.S., is that when the risk-taking, carefree behavior is applied in destructive ways to each other and to women, ultimately society pays a big price.