[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 92 (Wednesday, July 7, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S7751]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. BOXER (for herself, Mr. Smith, Mr. Chafee, and Mr. 
        Feingold):
  S. 2611. A bill to amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to 
provide assistance for orphans and other vulnerable children in 
developing countries; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I join Senators Smith, Chafee and 
Feingold in introducing legislation aimed at helping the 110 million 
orphans in the world. This legislation is a companion measure to 
Congresswoman Lee's bill that unanimously passed the House of 
Representatives last month.
  Current estimates suggest that by 2010, there will be more than 25 
million orphans worldwide as the result of the HIV-AIDS pandemic. We 
must do more to provide hope for these children. This legislation is an 
important step forward.
  Our bill would authorize the President to provide assistance to 
orphans and other vulnerable children in developing countries. Specific 
authorization is provided in the areas of basic care, HIV-AIDS 
treatment, school food programs, protection of inheritance rights, and 
education and employment training assistance.
  The legislation also calls on the President to use U.S. foreign 
assistance to support programs that eliminate school fees. Throughout 
the world, many orphans are prevented from attending school because 
they cannot afford to pay for school or are forced to financially 
support their families or care for sick relatives.
  Finally, the bill would establish an Office for Orphans and Other 
Vulnerable Children within USAID and a monitoring system that will 
ensure that U.S. assistance is effective. Right now, there is no office 
or individual within the Agency with responsibility for the overall 
oversight or implementation of programs for orphans and vulnerable 
children.
  I look forward to working with Congresswoman Lee and the Chairman of 
the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Lugar, in passing legislation 
to address the tragic issue of AIDS orphans throughout the world.
  I ask unanimous consent that a letter in support of this bill signed 
by the Global Action for Children be printed in the Record.
   There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                       Global Action for Children

        Dear Senators Boxer and Chafee: We welcome your leadership 
     on the issue of orphans and vulnerable children. As of 2001, 
     an estimated 100 million children were orphans throughout 
     Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. 
     The AIDS epidemic is rapidly accelerating the orphan crisis 
     and leaving a generation of children without hope. As 
     millions of parents are dying from AIDS, the children they 
     leave behind are often left without any adult to look after 
     their basic needs and survival.
        Your bill expands the capacity of communities to take care 
     of the basic needs of orphans and dramatically expands 
     educational opportunities for orphans. The bill creates a 
     mechanism to eliminate the school fees that prevent so many 
     orphans from ever going to school. School fees also 
     discourage families from adopting orphans because of the 
     major financial burden posed by such fees.
        The legislation you are introducing also provides new hope 
     to orphans and vulnerable children living with HIV and AIDS. 
     Each year, 700,000 babies are infected with HIV and most of 
     these children will become orphans. The legislation provides 
     a focus on treatment of these children in order to promote 
     healthy development and normal growth.
        Your bill also builds in monitoring and evaluation 
     criteria and improved coordination, including a new office of 
     orphans and vulnerable children, to ensure that funds for 
     orphans will be used most effectively. As we ramp up our 
     response to the orphans' crisis, new structures to ensure 
     effective coordination are essential to meeting the needs of 
     these orphans.
        We welcome the Boxer-Chafee legislation as an essential 
     companion to the comprehensive legislation that has already 
     passed the House of Representatives.

             Global Action for Children--Leadership Council

        AFXB.
        Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE).
        Episcopal Church, USA.
        Global Justice.
        Keep A Child Alive.
        Progressive National Baptist Convention.
        RESULTS.
        Student Campaign for Child Survival.
        American Jewish World Service.
        church World Service.
        Global AIDS Alliance.
        Hope for African Children Initiative.
        Pan-African Children's Fund.
        Religions Action Center of Reform Judaism.
        Student Global AIDS Campaign.
        United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and 
     Society.
                                 ______