Most HIV/AIDS advocates to fight the crisis in Africa, call for raising needed resources as aid from corporate or governmental donors in industrialized nations. However, for every 14 seconds the U.S. legislature waits to give permission for the proposed $15 billion grant, AIDS turns a child into an orphan. We all know about the passion to spread American values across the globe. But for now, we will settle for "FOOD BEFORE FREEDOM" and "DRUGS FOR AIDS BEFORE DEMOCRACY " and "BOOKS BEFORE BOMBS".
Thus the goal of our campaign is to call for full participation from every citizen of the "new Africa" in the U.S., where our Trans-Atlantic journey probably ended in a lap of luxury, while forgetting and leaving our African problems oceans away.
Children are in the center of our attention because they represent the next tier of potentially infected young adults. Additionally, activities focused directly on children impact their families, and eventually, the entire affected communities. Prevention, care and support interventions focused on children can have the greatest impact, by thwarting new infections into the next generations.
Ensuring the children's future access to education and life skills are the basis for enabling children to attain a better livelihood. As communities come under severe economic stress to care for orphans and vulnerable children, young people become more vulnerable to missing school days and caring for sick parents. Community caregivers must be mobilized so that children can stay in school in order to be better prepared to combat the HIV/AIDS crisis.
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