FIGURE
Perhaps no region is suffering more today than Africa - a continent currently embroiled in a fight against the AIDS epidemic. South of the Sahara desert, AIDS is more prominent than anywhere else in the world and the consequences are catastrophic.
Situation Critical
According to "AIDS: The Agony of Africa," by Mark Schoofs, over 17 million Africans have died of HIV/AIDS related diseases since the late 1970s, leaving more than 13 million orphans in sub-Saharan Africa alone. Zambia has over 650,000 orphans as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Zimbabwe has close to one million orphans, representing 9% of the population.
In the countries afflicted with high AIDS-related deaths, it could take 80,000 orphanages holding 500 orphans each just to house the children left without families by the AIDS epidemic, by the end of this decade. Whole villages are made up of the very old and the very young because the family-age adults have died from AIDS. In several households, the oldest living person is 10 years old. 1
Central and Southern Africa have seen more than 80% of the world's AIDS-related deaths.
Central and Southern Africa contain only 10% of the world's population, but have two-thirds of the world's HIV positive population. This region has seen more than 80% of the world's AIDS-related deaths. In America, the HIV death rate has dropped steeply thanks to powerful drug cocktails. Unfortunately, the high cost of drug management (around $10,000 per patient, per year) is far out of reach for most Africans. 1
An Uphill Battle
Marie Brown, a pediatric nurse practitioner and former The Nurse Practitioner editorial board member, teaches nursing at the University of Botswana in Gaborone, Botswana, Africa. While she was home for a brief respite, I spoke with her about her experiences. The challenges she faces center around the impact of AIDS and poverty on the students and faculty.
The faculty and students at the university suffer from a 45% HIV/AIDS rate-just as the rest of the country. Many positions are open and frequent absences occur due to illness, forcing most of the faculty to assume heavier teaching schedules.
From Marie's standpoint, the lack of medical textbooks, which neither faculty nor students could afford, was just as daunting. Marie encountered serious difficulty trying to teach students without books, or even chairs. When weekends arrived, her students returned to their villages to attend funerals and bury more of the AIDS victims.
Help Influence Change
NPs and other health care workers in Africa make a difference through their caring and preventive teachings. If you'd like to influence change and help some of the student nurses in Botswana, consider sending a diplomatic pouch of nursing and medical books to the University of Botswana. Mail books in a box that:
* does not exceed 24" in length. Total length and girth must not exceed 62".
* does not exceed 40 pounds (copy paper boxes are perfect, but can accommodate up to 44 pounds, so use packing material, such as bubble wrap, paper, or foam to fill up the space as needed).
* is packed securely, sealed with heavy-duty packing tape (strapping tape is best), and clearly labeled without advertising or confusing labels.
* has your return address in upper left-hand corner.
* is addressed to: Public Affairs Section, Department of State, 2170 Gaborone Pl., Dulles, VA 20189-2170.
* has the following in the lower left hand corner: UNCLASSIFIED AIR POUCH, Karen Morrissey (for Esther Seloilwe), EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS.
It's worth helping, even if in a small way. [email protected]
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