How One Woman Makes a Difference to Orphans with HIV

In a new Mormon Channel video, an American social worker, Mary, shares her story of helping orphans with HIV in Romania.

In the late 1980’s, many orphans in poverty-stricken Romania became very ill, resulting in the distribution of blood transfusions. Mary explains that the blood transfusions the children received were infected with HIV and that the virus was passed from one child to the next through the use of a single syringe.

Wanting to help, Mary traveled to Romania where her first assignment was to sit with the ill children as they passed away. She helped provide school supplies, baby needs, medicines, food and other things that many people did not have.

In the video, Mary explains her time in Romania saying, “I’ve always—all of my life—had a very strong feeling that we were put here to do something good for other people. I don’t know exactly how I ended up here, when I look back on it, or how I’ve managed to stay this long. But I feel incredibly privileged that I’ve been able to do so. I lead such an enriched lifestyle.”