When it's time for the people of Chibolya, Zambia, to bury their loved ones, they visit a very unique doctor.

"People come here because we are the cheapest," says Dr. Ovies Mwila, a calm, matter-of-fact man who gave up the practice of medicine to sell flimsy particleboard caskets for nearly $38, or about $10 more than most Chibolyans earn each month.

Operating out of the deserted hulls of broken-down Volkswagen vans, the coffinmaker and his apprentices have made caskets for just about everyone, including Dr. Mwila's mother, daughter, grandson and an untold number of orphaned children who every year die from diseases that plague the community.

"There are more deaths due to HIV/AIDS," the doctor acknowledges.

KEEPING THEIR HEADS ABOVE GROUND

Not far from Dr. Mwila's casket lot, Selina Nankholowe counts off her children who have died. "Number 3...number 7...number 9...number 11," she enumerates.

The 72-year-old grandmother has lived a full life since she moved to Chibolya in 1958, even if her family hasn't been so fortunate. But Selina believes longevity is a thing of the past, a time when the economy was stable and everything was more affordable.

"It was very, very easy to buy all the supplies needed because things were cheap. Unlike now, a 25 kilogram bag of mealie meal (the corn flour used to make a local porridge called nshima) costs $10. Now, what about the relish, the salt and everything else that is needed? That's why there is a lot of poverty, a lot of hunger," she vents in frustration.

In a country where 76 percent of the population lives on less than $1 a day and can only afford to eat just one meal, high inflation can be a death sentence.

"We got lucky," Selina admits, "because a refrigerator was left by one of my late children, and that is what we use to make ice. That ice is sold by the children when they come back from school."

The children Selina refers to are the seven orphans she cares for with the help of her daughters, Christine and Elizabeth. They can earn up to 3,000 kwacha per day - roughly 75¢ - selling ice flavored with orange, strawberry or cream soda syrup.

However, despite the family's resourceful attempts to stave off hunger and hardship, their circumstances could change at a moment's notice. The home where they live is owned by one of Selina's estranged grandsons, who is threatening to kick everyone out but her.

Pained by this cruel catch-22, Selina laments, "If my grandchildren don't have shelter, they won't be educated."

SAVING THE CHILDREN OF CHIBOLYA

Faced with eviction, the family's only real security is sponsorship. Four of Selina's grandchildren, as she calls all the orphans living with her, are sponsored. The support is especially critical for 6-year-old Benjamin. Like more than 50 other sponsored children infected with HIV/AIDS, Benjamin regularly visits the Children International community center for special nutritional care to help him maintain his immune system and prevent physical deterioration.

Children International promotes voluntary counseling and testing, AIDS education for children and parents, and referrals to clinics that offer antiretroviral treatment. Volunteer mothers like Selina's daughter, Christine, play a part in saving young lives too. Christine visits children with HIV/AIDS and prepares high-protein soy porridge for those who can't visit the center. She even educates them about properly taking their medication.

"With the help of Children International, at least things will change with our children," Christine says hopefully. "They've got blankets. They've got shoes, clothes, school uniforms. We really appreciate what Children International is doing in the community."