Today is World AIDS Day.
While HIV/AIDS is an issue I am incredibly passionate about, it is one that my words can never do justice.
Because I have seen children parenting children, their own parents taken by the disease.
I know of village populations made of only youth and seniors, an entire middle generation wiped out.
I have held the hands and bodies of little ones who suffer from weakened immune systems, a battle they inherited through birth.
Because child after child wait in institutions, abandoned and deemed un-adoptable because of their HIV status.
For me the hardest part of these stories is that they are preventable, ignited only by ignorance, lack of medical care, and stigmas. These stories could all end differently, and that is what World AIDS Day is about.
World AIDS Day is about awareness. It is about erasing stigmas and igniting change.
*With today's medical care, HIV/AIDS is still an incurable but very manageable disease. With proper medical treatment, people born HIV+ now have a normal life expectancy.
*HIV/AIDS is not transmitted through everyday living conditions or contact. HIV status is not a valid excuse to not welcome a child into your home or into your family.
*There are people in the world who still operate under irrational beliefs and "home remedies" when it comes to AIDS. A horrific yet real example is the belief that a man sleeping with a virgin will cure their disease. This results in the rape of young children and the spread of AIDS. Just one reason why education is so important.
*Over 34 million people worldwide are living with HIV, only about half who are eligible for free life-saving treatment receive it (www.one.org)
Learn the facts, sign the petition, and learn how you can help provide education and treatment for those who need it most at ONE.
Give to the adoption grant, spread awareness, or adopt a child living with HIV like Yelena or the many others like her.
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Sponsor a child and provide education and medical care for a child who lives in an AIDS affected area.
Words will never give justice to the millions affected by AIDS, but actions can.
While HIV/AIDS is an issue I am incredibly passionate about, it is one that my words can never do justice.
Because I have seen children parenting children, their own parents taken by the disease.
I know of village populations made of only youth and seniors, an entire middle generation wiped out.
I have held the hands and bodies of little ones who suffer from weakened immune systems, a battle they inherited through birth.
Because child after child wait in institutions, abandoned and deemed un-adoptable because of their HIV status.
For me the hardest part of these stories is that they are preventable, ignited only by ignorance, lack of medical care, and stigmas. These stories could all end differently, and that is what World AIDS Day is about.
World AIDS Day is about awareness. It is about erasing stigmas and igniting change.
*With today's medical care, HIV/AIDS is still an incurable but very manageable disease. With proper medical treatment, people born HIV+ now have a normal life expectancy.
*HIV/AIDS is not transmitted through everyday living conditions or contact. HIV status is not a valid excuse to not welcome a child into your home or into your family.
*There are people in the world who still operate under irrational beliefs and "home remedies" when it comes to AIDS. A horrific yet real example is the belief that a man sleeping with a virgin will cure their disease. This results in the rape of young children and the spread of AIDS. Just one reason why education is so important.
*Over 34 million people worldwide are living with HIV, only about half who are eligible for free life-saving treatment receive it (www.one.org)
I hope you will take a moment today to take action:
Learn the facts, sign the petition, and learn how you can help provide education and treatment for those who need it most at ONE.
Give to the adoption grant, spread awareness, or adopt a child living with HIV like Yelena or the many others like her.
.jpg)
Sponsor a child and provide education and medical care for a child who lives in an AIDS affected area.
Words will never give justice to the millions affected by AIDS, but actions can.
2 comments:
Your heart is SO BIG, Rebecca - the world needs more people like you!
i love this post thank you so much for sharing this xxxxx
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