Unite for Children
The statistics:
In the global fight against HIV/AIDS -- if you can call the paltry efforts so far a fight -- children have so far been underserved, yet they represent perhaps the hardest hit and the group with the greatest potential. As HIV/AIDS debilitate the adult population, children suffer. First to go are the parents, adult family members and friends, and other adults in their lives -- teachers, health care workers, community members. The psychological effects can't been dismissed. Just imagine, when there is so much as a few deaths from some unnatural cause in our communities, out comes public outreach workers and government psychologists to ease the pain. What do the children who have lost so much more get? Second is the economic hit. The poor get hit the hardest, and continue to be hit as the crumble. Parents who are there to provide can no longer do so as they succumb to the disease. Whatever wealth they may have is spent on treatment. As parents weaken, they are no longer able to work -- for those that live off the land, it even becomes difficult to pass on their skills to their children. As the working adult population diminishes, so society disintegrates. Everything from law and order, to public services, to a society's social, economic and essential infrastructure, falls apart. Third is education. HIV/AIDS is indiscriminate. As teachers go, so does the education system -- the one place where some security and comfort could be offered to children. For many of the hardest hit countries, the school doubles as the centre of the community -- when it goes, so does the community disintegrates. Schools also represent the opportunity to educate the generation that can't be lost of HIV/AIDS. It is where sexuality can be taught -- it is where the message of prevention can be spread -- and children are the ones who can be reached with this education much easier than adults can. Lastly, the beating health care has taken is unimaginable. Some places didn't have much to begin with. For others, treatment isn't arriving, much less arriving late. What is worse, is where there is a health care system, it is either misused, squandered, or slowly being destroyed by the overwhelming onslaught of HIV/AIDS. Faced with an overwhelming problem that has an underwhelming response, many health care workers are fleeing to other countries, taking with them hope for many.
The picture is depressing. It is actually doom and gloom. Despite the odds, the struggle continues. UNICEF has kicked off a global campaign to focus on the plight of children who are victims of HIV/AIDS. They've set themselves and the world, some lofty goals to achieve by the year 2010, in order to meet the expectations of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 6 -- which is to halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015. The goals:
The pandemic is depressing when you become aware of its unending march of entire populations to their graves. It gets worse when you become aware of the pitifully inadequate response of the rich nations on the planet. We've taken care of our own -- drug companies aren't focused on children because the infection rates in children in the first world nations are low -- so there's no money to be made. Yet, our own, is the human species. If we don't take care of ourselves -- and I mean that in the broader sense -- who will take care of us? I am afraid that our short attention spans causes mobilization to short term goals -- such as responding to an earthquake, a tsunami or a flood. Those disasters pale in comparison however, to what is happening to children around the world -- especially Africa.
As I wrote this post, I couldn't help but have the screaming lyrics of Rage Against the Machine pumping through my head -- and I wonder just how prophetic it really is:
Related reading:
- Every day, there are nearly 1,800 new HIV infections in children under 15 -- mostly from mother-to-child transmission -- amounting to 25 new infections every 20 minutes; and that's 1 in 7 for all new HIV infections. Of those children, 35% of the infected will contract the virus.
- Every day, 1,400 children under 15 die from AIDS-related illness -- almost 1 child every minute; and that's 1 in 6 for all AIDS-related deaths.
- Every day, more than 6,000 young people aged 15-24 are newly infected with HIV -- a new infection just about every 15 seconds.
- Less than 10% of pregnant women have services available to prevent transmission of HIV to their infants.
- Less than 10% of children who have been orphaned or made vulnerable by AIDS receive public support or services.
In the global fight against HIV/AIDS -- if you can call the paltry efforts so far a fight -- children have so far been underserved, yet they represent perhaps the hardest hit and the group with the greatest potential. As HIV/AIDS debilitate the adult population, children suffer. First to go are the parents, adult family members and friends, and other adults in their lives -- teachers, health care workers, community members. The psychological effects can't been dismissed. Just imagine, when there is so much as a few deaths from some unnatural cause in our communities, out comes public outreach workers and government psychologists to ease the pain. What do the children who have lost so much more get? Second is the economic hit. The poor get hit the hardest, and continue to be hit as the crumble. Parents who are there to provide can no longer do so as they succumb to the disease. Whatever wealth they may have is spent on treatment. As parents weaken, they are no longer able to work -- for those that live off the land, it even becomes difficult to pass on their skills to their children. As the working adult population diminishes, so society disintegrates. Everything from law and order, to public services, to a society's social, economic and essential infrastructure, falls apart. Third is education. HIV/AIDS is indiscriminate. As teachers go, so does the education system -- the one place where some security and comfort could be offered to children. For many of the hardest hit countries, the school doubles as the centre of the community -- when it goes, so does the community disintegrates. Schools also represent the opportunity to educate the generation that can't be lost of HIV/AIDS. It is where sexuality can be taught -- it is where the message of prevention can be spread -- and children are the ones who can be reached with this education much easier than adults can. Lastly, the beating health care has taken is unimaginable. Some places didn't have much to begin with. For others, treatment isn't arriving, much less arriving late. What is worse, is where there is a health care system, it is either misused, squandered, or slowly being destroyed by the overwhelming onslaught of HIV/AIDS. Faced with an overwhelming problem that has an underwhelming response, many health care workers are fleeing to other countries, taking with them hope for many.The picture is depressing. It is actually doom and gloom. Despite the odds, the struggle continues. UNICEF has kicked off a global campaign to focus on the plight of children who are victims of HIV/AIDS. They've set themselves and the world, some lofty goals to achieve by the year 2010, in order to meet the expectations of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 6 -- which is to halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015. The goals:
- Prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV -- by 2010, reach 80% of women in need.
- Provide paediatric treatment -- by 2010, reach 80% of children with antiretroviral and cotrimoxazole treatment.
- Prevent infection among adolescents and young people -- by 2010, lower HIV infection by 25% in young people.
- Protect and support children affected by HIV/AIDS -- by 2010, reach 80% of children in need.
The pandemic is depressing when you become aware of its unending march of entire populations to their graves. It gets worse when you become aware of the pitifully inadequate response of the rich nations on the planet. We've taken care of our own -- drug companies aren't focused on children because the infection rates in children in the first world nations are low -- so there's no money to be made. Yet, our own, is the human species. If we don't take care of ourselves -- and I mean that in the broader sense -- who will take care of us? I am afraid that our short attention spans causes mobilization to short term goals -- such as responding to an earthquake, a tsunami or a flood. Those disasters pale in comparison however, to what is happening to children around the world -- especially Africa.
As I wrote this post, I couldn't help but have the screaming lyrics of Rage Against the Machine pumping through my head -- and I wonder just how prophetic it really is:
'AIDS is killing the entire African nation
And a vaccine is still supposedly under preparation
But these governments they don't mind the procrastination
They say "We'll kill them off, take their land and go there for vacation.'
And a vaccine is still supposedly under preparation
But these governments they don't mind the procrastination
They say "We'll kill them off, take their land and go there for vacation.'
Related reading:
- "Treat every child as your own" -- campaign by the Organization of African First Ladies.
- Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS
Click the picture to read the UNICEF/UNAIDS report: A Call to Action: Children - The Missing Face of AIDS.
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