HIV/AIDS Awareness

HIV/AIDS Awareness

How would you feel if you saw a four-year-old girl have to watch her

mother die a slow painful death from AIDS? Well this is what millions

of children face everyday living in Africa. Do you ever stop and

think about how lucky you are to live a happy and healthy life or do

you just take it for granted? An estimated 25 million adults and

children are living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa, and AIDS has

orphaned an estimated twelve million children.

HIV/AIDS is one of the biggest challenges the world faces today. The

rate of infection is quickly increasing and more and more people are

getting ill and dying from AIDS related illnesses. Of all the people

living with AIDS in the world, it is now estimated that 6 out of every

10 men, 8 out of every 10 women and 9 out of every 10 children live in

Africa. South Africa has one of the fastest growing rates of infection

in the world. This is all because there is not enough money to teach

these people about contraception and safe sex. Also, cultural beliefs

play a part in women’s rules in society. Just think how many lives

could be saved if we could raise awareness about the causes of

HIV/AIDS. However, because the problem of AIDS is so enormous it is a

tremendous problem for charities to alleviate the suffering in Africa.

Families and communities are badly effected by the epidemic. The

problem of care falls on the families and children of those who are

ill. Often they have already lost a wage earner and the insufficient

resources they have left are not enough to provide care for the ill

person and food for the family. Imagine if one of your parents died.

All of those luxuries of your play station, mobile phone and CD player

would not be important because all you would be worrying about is

where your next meal was coming from and if you had a roof over your