But fall in love she did, hard and irrevocably.  What moved her most were the children orphaned by AIDS, which has swept Africa, killing millions and leaving whole villages of children with hardly an adult to care for them.  Kew fell in love with the children's grace, resilience and loving spirits in the face of utter deprivation and decay of their family life.

     Kew returned three years ago to the comforts of Lake Oswego, missing the company of the children she had come to love, determined to do something for them.  But when Kew tried to interest others in organizing a low-key nonprofit to provide tangible help to the African children, she found it difficult going.  "You say those three words, Africa, AIDS and orphans, and no one wants to know," she said.

     Looking over photographs she had taken reminded Kew of both the happy times she had spent with the children, and the depth of their need.  She came up with an idea for a way to convey their plight to those who have the power to help the children: She would publish a book of photographs, like the one above, sell it, and use the proceeds to build dormitories for the children orphaned by AIDS.

     Shortly after she first arrived in Johannesburg, Kew learned of the devastation that the disease had brought to Africa.  She traveled around Southern Africa to see for herself the children whose lives had been turned upside down, children who had lost their parents, aunts, uncles and sometimes even grandparents to the sickness everyone was afraid to talk about - "the one that makes them sicker and thinner, and terrible pain," as a gardener described it to her.

     What Kew found in her travels were, indeed, entire villages of children living together, with almost no adults.  The older children, she explained, would go and look for food, while the younger ones took care of the babies.  And when they could, all the children would go and sit outside whatever school was nearby, hoping to learn something in their odd moments.  "The teachers usually invite them in," Kew said.

     Kew's book of photographs and stories of these children is now completed.  In the end, she had to publish it herself, "on my credit card," she admitted.  But it was necessary, she said, because it is the only way she can think of to change the image of the children affected by AIDS, raise awareness of them, and get people to donate money to her nonprofit, The Q Fund for AIDS.  The money will be used to build dormitories in two villages, near the schools where the children congregate - one in Zambia, one in Zimbabwe - and to plant and buy food for the children.

     Kew already managed to raise 20,000 South African rand on a recent trip to Johannesburg, by organizing a golf tournament in the community where she and her family lived.  But she needs to raise more.  Although 20,000 rand has the buying power in South Africa of about $20,000 here, Kew think each dormitory will cost about $30,000 to build.

     Because Kew published the book herself, she has no distributor, so she is now planning another trip.  She is going to drive her car across the United Sates, scheduling readings at bookstores and selling copies of her book at each stop.  She'll cover the costs of her trip herself, and she is determined that when she returns to Africa this June, she will have money for at least one of those dormitories.

     If you would like to meet Kew, see her book, and perhaps buy a signed copy, you can go to Annie Bloom's Bookstore on April 12 at 7 p.m.  Or you can buy a copy from her web site, www.qfund4aids.org.  Either way, you'll be able to see the pictures and read the stories of some very beautiful and brave children.  And you may come to understand how the heart of a well-off woman from Lake Oswego was captivated by the AIDS orphans of Africa.

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You can reach Chellie Kew at chellie@qfund4aids.org.