World Aids Day

Posted by admin on Nov 24, 2005 in News | 0 comments

Imagine a town where you only see grandparents and young children and the rest are mysteriously missing. The schools have no teachers, the hospitals have no nurses. This is familiar sight for countless countries being destroyed by AIDS. HIV/AIDS is one of the biggest social, economic and health challenges in the history of the world. It is a global emergency claiming over 8,000 lives every day. That’s equivalent to the twin towers falling twice everyday.

The students that participated in Trinity Western University’s travel study to Kenya saw this firsthand this summer. Visits to orphanages and schools emphasized the growing AIDS crisis and the struggle of local communities to provide adequate care for those afflicted or orphaned by the disease. The Lake Victoria region of Kenya, where an estimated 1.3 million HIV/AIDS orphans live, is one of the hardest-hit. St. Rita’s, a program run by 20 mothers in the area, provides homes, food, medical treatment and education for 43 orphans. The program operates without any outside aid, so the mothers raise money by selling vegetables, baked goods, and milk, and often by begging. To them, it is a struggle just to afford basic needs and life-saving anti-viral drugs.

But there is hope. People all over the world are joining together to fight back. Countries can stop AIDS with the alleviation of debt, affordable medicine, and funds for education, care and treatment.

On Thursday December 1st TWU is joining the fight against AIDS by participating in World AIDS Day. There will be information in the café on how you can make a difference, red ribbons available to show your support, and the film Orphans of Nkandla will be shown in Block Hall. Keep your eyes open for more information and spread the word – awareness is the first step to change.

Info found on www.stopglobalaids.com