http://www.avert.org/living-with-hiv.htm
Did You Know?
My research topic is about individuals and families that have HIV/AIDS in developing countries. This week I have decided to do it on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The statistics are shocking. "Over 1.3 million people are living with HIV/AIDS. One hundred thousand people have died of AIDS. More than 930,000 children have lost one or both parents. Only 5% receive anti-retroviral treatment that need it." (DRC, 2007) Those are by far some of the worst that I have seen thus far. I cannot imagine how the country is dealing with not only the disease, but all of the orphans. I cannot imagine what it must be like for the children who have lost their parents to this disease. A lot could be done if the people could just receive some of the medication. It is a very overwhelming situation. Here is a video of one man that represents more than a million that does is not receiving the necessary medication.
I have also attached a video that shows just how helpful the medicine is. It is amazing to see the transformation in 90 days.
If you have some free-time I would recommend that you look into it yourself, and the ways that you can help. A simple sacrifice on our part could go a long way in a developing nation.
Sources:
HIV/AIDS in the democratic republic of Congo (DRC). (2007). Retrieved January 26, 2011, from http://hub.witness.org/en/TakeActionNow
What really hits home for me is the 930,000 kids who have lost one or both parents. These kids have seen more death in their short years of living than most of us have in our entire life. It upsets me that they have to go through this and have their childhood taken away by this disease.
ReplyDeleteThis class did seem like a lot of work at first, but now it seems like one of the few where I will actually learn. I have all online classes, so the volume of work, not necessarily the difficulty, is what will get me if I don't keep up. Glad to hear you're on the right track now.
ReplyDeleteYour Did You Know? section was mind-boggling. While AIDS is a great adversity in any cultural context, it is amazing how much we take for granted with our healthcare system. It is by no means perfect and I struggle with medical bills, seemingly subpar performances by health professionals, and teeter between the ideas of nationalized and privatized healthcare; however, the extent to which developing countries are denied medical care is shocking but true. As much as I struggle with my suspected lupus and not getting a diagnosis or treatment yet-imagine if I did not even get the OPPORTUNITY or have an knowledge about it. Wow.
The personal stories on Avert were saddening, but this kind of pathos can be a powerful tool, a "a call to arms" for the cause.
Hopefully you will correct material you know to be wrong rather than continue to perpetuate the wrong information. No one has died from AIDS. I don't care what the CDC or UNAIDS or WHO say about that topic. It is impossible to die from a syndrome.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed watching the videos. I constantly learn from what my students post or write about each semester. I've watched what the drugs can do for people. I've seen them get off their deathbed and go back to work.
Each day I watch my daughter go off to school at 13. Without the drugs, she wouldn't have made it past elementary school, perhaps not even into kindergarden. Now she is on her way to high school in another year.