'I thought Aids had wrecked my life'

Last year Jimmy's life was in tatters, his father had died from Aids and his mother could not afford to look after him.

So Jimmy and his younger sibling were left to fend for themselves alone in a Ugandan town.

One of 12 million Aids orphans throughout Africa, he admits he thought his life was over at the age of just 19.

"When that day came, I had no life. I had no future."

But by chance he heard of a western organisation, Plan, helping Aids orphans in Africa.

"A friend of mine told me about a place supported by Plan where they assist Aids orphans."

Jimmy signed up for a carpentry course and armed with a new self confidence he is now looking forward to setting up in his own business.

And because of his new found love of life Jimmy is determined his business will focus on making furniture tables and chairs, rather than concentrating on coffins for Aids victims like many Ugandan carpenters.

In a village in another part of Uganda, Federisi works on a memory book for her children.

She is just 34 years old, but is already in the last stages of Aids.

"I had no life. I had no future"

Jimmy

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Last year her husband died from the disease leaving Federisi alone with her five children.

Dying

But now Federisi is too ill to even tend her own small garden and needs to be supported by her 10-year-old son Samuel.

For women like Federisi their only hope of survival is western cash to provide economic, legal, emotional and practical support for her children.

Plan currently sponsors over a million children worldwide, with individual sponsors pledging to 'foster' a child.

For just Ј12 a month their money will be used to pay for the child's schooling and health needs as well as being utilised to improve their local community.

Plan said the cash is also channelled into health, education, livelihood, safe environment and promoting children's rights - ensuring that for every child sponsored at least another nine are helped.

A spokeswoman for Plan said: "The children who are sponsored are from the poorest families in the community as decided by the community itself.

"But as all Plan's work will benefit everyone the only way the sponsored child benefits more is through provision of school uniforms, school fees and sometimes specific family help such as house improvements."