"If the world is cold, make it your business to build fires."
- Horace Traubel (1858-1919), American writer
Today is World AIDS Day and I wasn't even aware of it until I wandered into the den while my wife was watching the Oprah Show. Something made me plop down on the sofa and for the next thirty minutes or so, I listened to Oprah and her guests talk about how this terrible disease is ravaging victims in Africa, China and India. People are dying at the rate of 8,000 a day, 3 million a year, and this trend is expected to get worse before it gets better. This Mercury News article will give you a picture of the overall situation.
What I heard made me want to get involved somehow, so I've spent the last couple of hours looking for more information on AIDS and searching for a means to help out. I thought I'd share what I found with any of you who might want to do something too.
The site I found to be most informative is the Why Africa? - DATA site. It will take you a little time to read through the various parts of this page, but when you've finished you'll have a better appreciation of the magnitude of the problem in Africa and why we need to join together in seeking a solution.
Several other sites are worth mentioning as well. I visited the Avert.org webpage, Aids Orphans in Africa site and the AIDS.ORG page. All of these will enhance your awareness of this disease and provide you with a means to get involved in helping its victims if you're so inclined.
3 comments:
Africa is dying, and Bush is underfunding the promise he made in the State of the Union. He is also denying funding to groups that are fighting AIDS that have anything to do with abortion.
Whoa! I wasn't looking for anyone to blame. I just wanted to encourage individuals to get involved. H.R. 1298 was signed into law May 27, 2003, authorizing $3B a year from 2004-2008 with any amounts authorized to remain available until expended. Many felt spending $3B the first year would overwhelm AIDS programs, thus the request for only $2B. As programs get "ramped up," more funding is to be provided. Bush has committed to the entire $15B over 5 years. Isn't it a little early to cast stones?
Sorry to get political on you when you were just doing your thing, but politics are involved in almost everything in life.
As for Bush, time will tell, but my point was that time is running out.
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