One would like to think that with damning statistics such as these, the international community would be forced to take heed of Africa’s growing adversity. One would like to think that if our leaders were halfway compassionate, they would provide the funds, education, and medical supplies needed to bring back the most neglected continent in the world from the brink of extinction. In reality, however, this is not the case. In most cases, and in particular the plague of HIV/AIDS, Africa is left to fend for herself.
But there are indeed those out there who fight passionately for AIDS relief work and more aid from the better-off Western world. One of the most visible and outspoken is Canada’s Stephen Lewis, currently serving as the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa. He spends a great deal of his time on the very continent he has been tasked to investigate, and grows discouraged by the lack of interest from the world. “I’m not getting anywhere. As much as there are a million things to be done, the fact is that we can’t get anywhere on these resources. I wake up regularly in an absolutely incensing rage at not being able to break through.”
Mr. Lewis works consistently and tirelessly in pursuit of a solution to the HIV/AIDS crisis that is rapidly unfolding in Africa. He travels from state to state to state, speaking with those infected and finding out their side of the story. He hits international conventions and lobbying for more funding from the international governments who have what Africa needs – and refuse to be generous. He is just one of several individuals and organizations working to save Africa, but if the world doesn’t pay more attention to Africa, it could be too late.
The Global Fund, an UN-regulated fund designated for stopping the HIV/AIDS crisis, was supposed to have raised $10-billion (U.S.) a year. In five years, only 2.1 billion has been collected. With economic powers such as the United States only giving the bare minimum of what would be acceptable, it is doubtful that we will find a solution to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the near future.
3.1 million AIDS-related deaths in 2002, which is an atrocious number and one that we have the power to diminish. But we choose not to. We choose instead to avert our eyes from the dispirited faces of the children and adults who suffer, and go about our daily business. It’s Africa, right? Not our problem. Many think in this way. Many, including our leaders.
If international politicians ignore Africa and her cries for help, we must act. We are the leaders of tomorrow, and we must rescue those in Africa who suffer. They are not a continent to be overlooked and forgotten about. We must contact our politicians, and urge them to increase funding for HIV/AIDS in Africa. We must set up fundraisers and find charities and organizations that get the money directly to those who need it most. Though it may seem like $50 raised from a walk-a-thon is useless, one dollar a day can provide access to the ARVs (anti-retroviral drugs) that can curb the spread of HIV/AIDS.
We must do our part. We must work towards a better Africa. It cannot be overlooked any longer. Follow in the footsteps of the remarkable Stephen Lewis. “It’s the most degrading thing in the world,” he says. “To be dying and to make a plea and no one responds.”
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