Miles Roston

There are over 14 million AIDS orphans in the world — children whose lives have been devastated by the loss of their parents and the stigma associated with this modern-day plague. Kevin Sumba is one of these children. Living in a squalid shantytown in Kenya, his life was one of loneliness and hardship — a constant struggle to feed, clothe and educate himself — until Miles Roston entered his life. Miles, a documentary filmmaker, is a passionate advocate for AIDS awareness. He first met Kevin while making a film on the plight of the AIDS orphans but found that Kevin entered his heart in a way he hadn’t anticipated. So together, he and Kevin set about answering ‘Kevin’s Questions’: what can Kevin do to protect himself against the disease? What are his rights as an orphan? What is the global community doing in the face of this epidemic? From Basel to New York, from Bangkok to Nairobi, Kevin’s Questions seeks answers from both powerful policymakers and those working at a grass-roots level. Along the way, we also meet people who have been directly impacted by the epidemic: from children left homeless on Nairobi’s streets to a mother on her deathbed whose only thought is for the children she will leave behind. But above all, Kevin’s Questions is a story of hope and inspiration. For as Kevin and Miles form a powerful bond of love and respect we see just how much one person’s life can change when somebody cares enough to help.

Desmond Tutu has written the foreword to this book which he sees as ‘getting rid of the distance’ between people like us who can read these words and people who through no actions of their own have been forced to the very edge of life. The book teaches us how AIDS is potentially destroying an entire generation; it shows how leaders in Africa and the world are addressing it sometimes brilliantly- other times catastrophically. Further the book shows how far a little love and thought can go towards changing a life. This is a heart warming success story based in the harshest realities of today’s world. Read it to understand the highs and lows of the human condition and to sense the fears and joys of a desperate generation.

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Kevin Sumba is working with YEAH to connect young Australians...

In July 2007 Kevin, with the support of YEAH, visited schools across Sydney and Melbourne. Students had a chance to connect to his story in a real way and personalise the concept that over 15 million young people have stories like Kevin's of growing up alone. "Getting the HIV message to the young" The Age 1/8/07  >>

YEAH's new educational kit is being distributed by Exisle Publishing.  Click here for more information >>

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Miles Roston is a writer and director of films, his most recent being the documentaries Make It Real (to me) for the Sundance Channel, TG4, and the ABC in Australia, and previously 14 Million Dreams. Both of these films dealt with the AIDS epidemic in Africa and its effects on children. He has an Emmy nomination and has won various awards for his work, including both his musical compositions and productions. Currently he is at work on a feature film, dealing with children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic.


SPECIFICATIONS
Size: 170 x 140 mm
Format: Cased with jacket
Extent: 248 pages
Weight: 400 gms
First published: October 2006
ISBN:978-0-908988-69-3