A lasting effect of HIV/Aids is the devastating impact it has on the education of children. Throughout sub–Saharan Africa, orphans — regardless of how they lost their parents — are less likely to be enrolled in school. If they are in school, they lag behind children of the same age.
Katriena Sym considers herself lucky. She has a roof over her head, a husband who has found work on a farm nearby, and a lodger who contributes to the household expenses. "<i>Ceres is baie hard, en ek praat nou van hard</i> [Ceres is very hard and I mean hard]," she says, "<i>maar ek dink ons sal darem regkom</i> [but I think we will survive]." Sym is one of the seasonal fruit pickers who battles to eke out a livelihood.