Any time I hear about an “orphan” I picture a kid in a newsboy cap, hawking newspapers on a street corner and eating porridge for dinner. It seems like a quaint concept tailor-made for period films or bad Broadway musicals.

The word “orphan” really needs to be retired and replaced, because that image doesn’t do justice to the reality of things. The truth is that there are more than 15 million children in the world who have been orphaned due to AIDS.

If all 15 million lived in the same place in the United States, it would be the 5th largest state in the nation. That’s more people than the populations of West Virginia, Nebraska, Idaho, New Hampshire, Maine, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Montana, Delaware, South Dakota, Alaska, North Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming COMBINED.

If they were their own state, a whopping 24 electoral votes would get them a steady stream of attention from Presidential candidates and the news media. That’s not how it is, though, so we make do and spread the word how we can.

Monica Wong, who runs the travel blog A Pair of Panties and Boxers, is volunteering her exceptional social media skills to work with FXB International and raise awareness of World AIDS Orphans Day, a grassroots campaign to draw attention to and advocate on behalf of the children orphaned by AIDS. World AIDS Orphans Day is commemorated every year on May 7th.

How You Can Help:

One of the key activities is an online charity auction by NextAid.org.

They’re currently looking for donations to include in the auction, in the following categories:

• Good Goods (green retail, fair trade items, organic goods, beauty products)
• Treat Yourself LA, SF, and NY (restaurants, activities, fitness, spa)
• Call in Sick (hotels, flights, cruises, travel, activities)

More details about the auction are at NextAid’s auction page

How ELSE You Can Help:

Okay. So, let’s just say you were a total slacker and didn’t click on any of the links above, then you MUST DO THIS:

Raise awareness by joining the Facebook page for World Aids Orphans Day to spread the word around to people you know. All it takes is a couple mouse clicks.

If you can blow time playing Farmville, then it would be pretty sad  if you couldn’t at least do THAT much. Don’t make me create “Orphanville” just to get your attention.

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