Aids in Africa

It has gained the attention of the United Nations, politicians and even rock stars. The spread of HIV/AIDS is vast, affecting every continent on Earth, but Africa is the most afflicted part of the world, with 26.6 million AIDS victims, 2.3 million deaths and 3.2 million new infections in 2003 alone (source: UNAIDS).
Here in North America, AIDS directly affects hundreds of thousands of people. 2003 figures for this continent reveal that there are an estimated 790, 000 to 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS; there are 12, 000 to 18, 000 reported deaths due to the disease and 36, 000 to 54, 000 new infections. (source: UNAIDS).  

A vicious cycle
While AIDS is a pandemic that indiscriminately wipes out lives, Africa's women are dying in disproportionate numbers. In Malawi, there are twice as many women than men infected with AIDS (source: Allafrica.com). Considering such statistics, it's clear that this vicious disease will persist and continue to leave children without their mothers, sisters, aunts and grandmothers. As these lives are extinguished, a cycle of devastation unfolds: The crops, usually tended to by women, are abandoned and left to deteriorate as their orphaned children — who may be infected as well — are left to fend for themselves and their entire family.

Challenges and changes
There are several reasons why women in Africa are so vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Often, their socioeconomic status silences them and keeps them from empowering themselves. Sometimes they're infected by their own husbands, they may be victims of sexual violence and stigmas can keep them from seeking the antiretroviral drugs that can extend their lives and allow them to enjoy a good quality of life.

In a December 2002 address at Columbia University in New York, Kofi Annan, secretary general of the United Nations, eloquently explained why it's so important to save the women of Africa. Click here to read Annan's speech.

*Mozambique first began losing its fathers and husbands to AIDS. Now it is the women who are dying, leaving behind fallow fields and hungry children. Get an up-close look at how AIDS affects a family in the October 2004 issue of Homemakers magazine.

People who are making a difference:

Kofi Annan "If we want to save Africa, we must save Africa's women first" – New York, Columbia University, December 2002
Who is he? Secretary general of the United Nations. 
Tackling the HIV/AIDS epidemic is Kofi Annan's self-proclaimed "personal priority." In April 2001, Annan began the startup of a Global AIDS and Health Fund to increase funds to help developing countries confront the crisis. Among several progressions, the Fund has been instrumental in delivering antiretroviral drugs, providing counseling, educating in prevention tactics and administering HIV testing in Africa.

Stephen Lewis –"Never in human history have so many died for so little reason. You have a chance to alter the course of that history. Can there be any task more noble?" Microbicides 2004 conference, London, March 2004
Who is he? Secretary general's Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Stephen Lewis has been appointed by the UN's secretary general as a Special Advisor on Africa to help in "the mobilization of the international community." He is well acquainted with many organizations that support palliative care, helping orphans, and supporting groups of people living with HIV/AIDS. The Stephen Lewis Foundation works through trustworthy NGOs and United Nations agencies such as UNICEF.

Bono -"Africa is a continent in flames and as we all know fires tend to spread." Liberal convention, Toronto, November 2003.
Who is he? Singer of U2.

As frontman for Irish rock band U2, Bono lends his vocals to music as well as to humanitarian causes like fighting AIDS in Africa. He's been lobbying political figures such as our own Prime Minister, Paul Martin in order to urge nations like ours to support the facilitation of affordable AIDS drugs to Africa. In 2002, Bono co-founded DATA an organization that strives to free the people of Africa from poverty. The organization identifies major obstacles that keep Africans from achieving prosperity (Debts, AIDS, Trade in Africa). Visit DATA's website for more information.

Must-see sites:
There is hope for the women of Africa as there is hope for anyone who lives with HIV/AIDS. People are gathering to fight this killer and missions are carried out each day to stop AIDS' destruction. Although the AIDS in Africa crisis may seem insurmountable, the opportunities to save lives cannot be diminished by the magnitude of this disease.

AIDS and Africa
http://www.aidsandafrica.com/
Founded in April 2000, this site offers current information on HIV/AIDS in Africa from scientific journals, government reports and news reports from respectable sources. Visit their Ways of Helping page for a listing and descriptions of various organizations that support AIDS advocacy.

Stephen Lewis's site
http://stephenlewisfoundation.org/aboutus.html
The Stephen Lewis Foundation was started, in part, because of an outpouring of support from Canadians who want to address the tragedy of HIV/AIDS in Africa. The Stephen Lewis Foundation's main goals are:
-to ease the plight of women who are dying from AIDS,
-to help the orphans they leave behind and
-to assist the efforts of groups of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Visit the donation page to find out how you can support this charitable cause.

UNAIDS.org
http://www.unaids.org/en/default.asp
UNAIDS is The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and its mission is to support a global response to AIDS. It does so via:
-Leadership and advocacy for effective action on the epidemic.
-Strategic information to guide efforts against AIDS worldwide.
-Tracking, monitoring and evaluation of the epidemic and of responses to it.
-Civil society engagement and partnership development.
-Mobilization of resources to support an effective response.
Visit UNAIDS.org to get current news on the situation in Africa .