Did you know that the average person's knowledge about HIV hasn't increased in almost 3 decades. Why aren't we trying to learn about our world and ways we can help. We have become so consumed with only what effects us and our need for instant gratification. Are we afraid to know the truth because if we do we are responsible? Are we afraid to know the truth because it may take time and a little more "elbow grease" than we are willing to offer? No matter what our excuses, children with HIV can be helped in Africa and around the world. A single pill could give them a longer more healthy life but instead they are dying from a disease that can be very easily managed. Do your part today and read this post. Raise your awareness of HIV/AIDS and donate to one of these groups!
An estimated 22.5 million people were living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa at the end of 2009, including 2.3 million children.
During 2009, an estimated 1.3 million Africans died from AIDS. Almost 90% of the 16.6 million children orphaned by AIDS live in sub-Saharan Africa.
Below are some estimated numbers from Uganda at the end of 2009.
- 1,200,000 people living with HIV/AIDS.
- 1,500,000 children with HIV/AIDS.
- 64,000 AIDS deaths.
- 1,200,000 orphans due to AIDS.
I don't know about you but those numbers put a knot in my
stomach every time i read them... Ya'll ONE MILLION TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND orphans because their parents/caretakers died from AIDS just in Uganda... But wait - see below the TOTAL number in sub-Saharan Africa.
- 22 million 5 hundred thousand people living with HIV/AIDS.
- 2 million 3 hundred thousand children with HIV/AIDS.
- 1 million 3 hundred thousand AIDS deaths.
- 14 million 8 hundred thousand orphans due to AIDS.
Notes
These estimates include all people with HIV infection, including those who have not developed symptoms of AIDS.
Adults are defined as men and women age 15 and above, unless otherwise specified.
Children are defined as people under the age of 15, while orphans are children under 18 years of age who have lost one or both parents to AIDS.
*Click on the pink link if you would like to see specific country statistics. AVERT
HIV is a chronic disease that is very manageable with medication. It is impossible to get HIV from normal, casual contact... even kissing. HIV has NEVER been transferred in a normal household setting. HIV could be absolutely eliminated without needle sharing and with condom use.
Know your FACTS!!
HIV is spread only in the following ways:
- By having unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex with an HIV positive person.
- By sharing needles or syringes with an HIV positive person.
- During pregnancy, birth or breast-feeding from an infected mother to her baby.
- Through transfusion of blood from an HIV positive person.
Body fluids of an infected person that spread HIV are:
- Semen
- Vaginal fluid
- Blood
- Breast milk
REMEMBER
- HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.
- AIDS is the result of HIV infection.
- HIV infection can be prevented.
- HIV is not spread through casual social contact.
Statement Myth or Fact
- HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. Fact
- You can get HIV by drinking from a glass used by someone who has HIV. Myth
- HIV is spread by kissing. Myth
- You can get HIV from giving blood. Myth
- Someone who has HIV, but looks and feels healthy can still infect other people. Fact
- You can tell by looking at someone if they have HIV/AIDS. Myth
- Sharing needles to inject drugs can spread HIV. Fact
- Using a latex condom during sex can reduce the risk of getting HIV. Fact
(Some people say that condoms give limited protection against AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. This is not true. A condom gives major protection if it is used properly.)
- Taking birth control pills can protect a woman from getting HIV. Myth
- You can get HIV from a toilet seat. Myth
- Most people who get infected with HIV become seriously ill
within three years. Myth
(In fact, after a person is infected with HIV, there is usually no change in that person's health for quite a few years. The person feels well, is able to work as before and shows no signs of being sick. This period is normally around 10 years, with an average range of some 8 to 12 years in length. Rarely, a person can begin to show evidence of the infection as early as 5 years after the infection.)
- People with HIV/AIDS should be sent away from the community. Myth(In fact, people living with HIV/AIDS need love, support and proper health care from their families and others.)
- Vaccination can protect people from HIV infection. Myth
- AIDS is a syndrome that has no cure. Fact
- Mosquitoes transmit HIV. Myth (Mosquitoes do not transmit HIV. Worldwide, there has never been a documented case of HIV infection from a mosquito bite. HIV doesn't survive in mosquitoes and other insects and therefore cannot be transmitted to another person through an insect bite. If a mosquito bite could transmit HIV, then lots of people would be infected who haven't engaged in risky behavior.)
Do you want to help? Share this blog post and help raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. Also see Our Own Home and Project Hopeful to advocate, donate, volunteer or even adopt a child with HIV/AIDS.
"Our Own Home is a refuge for orphans living with AIDS. Believing that every life is priceless, we offer these special children treasures that every child should be able to take for granted: security, dignity, and love. Shouldn’t every child have the freedom to drift off to sleep at night knowing where their next meal is coming from…knowing someone will always be there for them…knowing they are safe?Because of the stigma surrounding the disease, many of these children are abandoned to the streets. Others simply scrape by under caregivers who are too scared to touch them. So they survive; unwanted, unloved, unseen. Oh, but they are seen. They are wanted. They are loved. God is the Father to the fatherless, and He cares about these little ones. He wants them to have their own home."
Project Hopeful "Our Story- Every orphaned child hopes for a family and a home. The reality for many children with HIV/AIDS and other special needs is that the chances of having that dream materialize are slim. Time and again, Project HOPEFUL has witnessed that with education, encouragement, and assistance families and individuals can be enabled to advocate for and adopt children with HIV/AIDS.
What began as a group of mothers on a mission to advocate for their children living abroad with HIV was developed by God into Project HOPEFUL. Today Project HOPEFUL exists to Help Orphans and Parents Eliminate Further Unnecessary Loss… of time, dignity, and life.
Until January of 2010, internationally adopted children with HIV had to immigrate into the US through a different protocol than children without the virus. Carolyn Twietmeyer founded Project HOPEFUL after her eyes were opened to the serious and outdated immigration procedures facing internationally adopted children (especially those with HIV/AIDS). With a strong desire to adopt children most in need of a family, she and her husband, Kiel, adopted a sibling group of three from Ethiopia, one of whom was HIV+. When the Twietmeyers came up against unyielding immigration delays, Project HOPEFUL was created." To read more of their story click About Us
Our time is so short, the time is NOW, they are only here For But A Moment and we can make a difference.
