AIDS Pandemic in Africa

I remember traveling to Houston, Texas some 20 years ago, and hearing about the devastating effects from a disease called HIV/AIDS. Yesterday, I was reminded that the HIV has not gone away, people just are not talking about it as much. But Africa Action wants the world to know, Africa is ground zero for folks living and dying from AIDS. Loren Rugira emphasizes the fact that woemn and children are the most vulnerable.

The message becomes loud and clear, that a more urgent and comprehensive approach to rein in the disease is needed from the international community. It is not the children fault, who inherit this disease from parents, and more funding is needed to mobilize a grassroots support system for preventing more children from being infected. Education is needed for "effective prevention, treatment, care and support programs, support for the rights and needs of women and girls and new investments in Africa's human resources and health care infrastructure," according to a hand out by African Action .

African Action along with Trans Africa Forum recently showed movie, A Closer Walk highlighting a Dr. Paul Farmers who stated this disease is treatable. In other words, Africans living with diseases is not a way of life. The reason so many children are dying is because we as people turn our face away to pretend this holocaust is not happening to young children. A Closer Walk suggest that we face reality and not hide our face, nor turn away, so that our ears do not hear the sadness of Africa dying from AIDS.

Recently Oprah and Alicia Keys has joined the fight against the pandemic in South Africa. Oprah, will soon open The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls South Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa for education. Alicia Keys is building Clinics and raising money to help victims of AIDS.

We to can do something, just contact African Action for more information. As one Closer Walk audience's member stated , a simply three step process, education access, visibility helped the gay community fight this disease. A Closer Walk, will be broadcast nationally on PBS August 31, 2006.