Tackle Africa: Footballers join Christian Aid to promote HIV awarenessNancy dell’Olio, girlfriend of English football manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, has joined forces with top footballers and the charity Christian Aid to use soccer to promote Aids awareness in Africa. A new charity, TackleAfrica, has been launched to work in 11 African countries, from Senegal to Tanzania, to organise football matches and workshops for local clubs and schools over the next six months. For details, visit www.christianaid.org |
 photo:thandi haruperi |
The 13th International Conference on Aids and STIs in Africa (ICASA), held in Nairobi in Kenya, got off to a shaky start last month.
Over 7,000 delegates from over 119 countries turned up for the conference to be faced by long queues.
President Mwayi Kibaki spoke at the opening ceremony (the only African leader present) in an event that was plagued by five power cuts.
In his speech, he talked of how Africa was disproportionately affected by Aids, “Africa is home to only 10 per cent of the world’s population, and yet more than 70 per cent of the people living with HIV/Aids live in Africa.
“The pandemic cannot only be fought sometimes, but must be fought all the time, every moment, every day,” President Kibaki said.
It was clear that young people wanted to figure prominently at the five-day conference. Not only did they demand and receive a platform to speak, but about 50 of them also held a mini demonstration during the opening ceremony.
Another group of people who dominated the conference were traditional healers and their supporters. Traditional healers marched through Nairobi demanding that both traditional medicine and the healers be recognised as partners in the fight against Aids.
In Africa over 80 per cent of the population use the services of traditional healers, including many people living with HIV.
There was also a running theme of access to antiretrovirals (ARVs), not only for people in Africa but also in other developing countries.
Dr Peter Piot, Director of UNAIDS, talked about the “3x5” initiative - the aim of which is to provide strong technical backing to scale up treatment access and get three million Africans on anti-HIV drugs by 2005.
According to the World Health Organisation, about four million people urgently need ARVs in sub-Saharan Africa but just under 75,000 actually have access - about two per cent of those in need.
There was a lack of sessions addressing men’s issues and there was a considerable amount of blame laid on them for spreading HIV.
Dr Piot questioned why there were so many HIV conferences held so regularly
at such a high cost: “It is time to rethink ICASA, its format, its value
and whether the huge investments we make in such conferences are justified.”
Winnie Ssanyu-Sseruma
Representatives from 133 countries, including 20 Heads of State, attended a special United Nations General Assembly on HIV/Aids in New York at the end of September.
 Hilary Benn, DFID Secretary of State photo: courtesy DFID |
At the meeting, world leaders promised to establish comprehensive national HIV/Aids strategies and international co-ordination to fight against the global epidemic.
The New York Times reported: “88 per cent of the countries have increased awareness through the media, Aids education in schools and peer education programmes.”
However the report revealed that there were no world leaders from Asia, where infections are rising dramatically, present at the meeting.
Kofi Annan, the Secretary General, stated: “The international community is not doing enough to battle the epidemic.’’ He added that several of this year’s goals have been missed and that if what was pledged in the 2001 meeting is to be achieved by 2005, “Nations have to step up the war against Aids.’’ Annan added: “There is more money to spend on Aids, the drugs are cheaper but the disease is galloping faster than global efforts to stop it. Action is still far short of what is needed. That’s why we must keep Aids on top of the political agenda.”
He outlined the shortcomings and emphasised that world governments needed more concrete action.
“A third of all countries still have no policies to ensure that women have access to prevention and care, even though they account for half of those affected.”
Hilary Benn, the new UK Secretary of State for International Development (DFID), called for more action and commitment.
“What we need to save millions of our fellow human beings dying of Aids is more action. This is a global problem and needs global action now.’’
Many leaders from developing countries expressed their commitment and concern but revealed they could not afford to pay for expensive antiretroviral drugs.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) appealed to manufacturers of drugs to reduce prices.
“300,000 people receive antiretroviral treatment although nearly six million people are thought to be in urgent need.”
“To deliver antiretroviral treatment to the millions who need it we must change the way we think and change the way we act,’’ said Dr Lee Jong-Wook, the director of WHO.
“Business as usual will not work,’’ he went on. “Business as usual means watching thousands of people die every single day.’’
Richard Feachem, the executive director of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria said: “Countries can’t pay for these medicines without outside assistance. Getting the drugs to those who need them will require affordable prices and more funding.”
 Stephen Lewis, UN special envoy on Aids photo: courtesy united nations |
Stephen Lewis, the UN special envoy on HIV/Aids, denounced as “a grotesque obscenity’’ the lack of cheap anti-HIV drugs in Africa and appealed to pharmaceutical companies to reduce their prices and donor agencies to do more.
Mr Lewis criticised the USA for spending a lot of money on war rather than
providing antiretroviral treatment for those in need, especially in Africa.
Hilary Benn concluded: “Some African countries face economic collapse
because of Aids with family incomes decimated.’’
James Ayebale
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The Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria has now approved grants to 93
countries and in just two years has raised over $1.5 billion. Sixty per cent
of this total is for Africa; 60 per cent of the total is also for HIV/Aids.
Half of the money disbursed will be used by governments and half by NGOs, multi-lateral
agencies and private sector organisations. The money will be split equally
on the purchase of medicines and for infrastructure and training. The Fund
estimates that it will expand antiretroviral treatments to more than 500,000
HIV positive people over five years, expand voluntary counselling and HIV testing
tenfold and provide care and support to 500,000 Aids orphans. For further details,
visit: