Since 1990, 1.2 million people in Zambia have died as a result of AIDS. In a country of 14 million, such a high death toll has led to a breakdown in family units, with many children having lost one or both of their parents.

Elida was a young child when her father died, joining the 680,000 children in Zambia who have lost one or both parents to AIDS. After his death, she suffered physical abuse at the hands of her mother who regularly beat her, until, aged 12, she decided to run away from home. Elida took a bus to a nearby mining town, but found life there no easier than it was at home.