THE AIDS CRISIS IN AFRICA

AIDS is taking lives at an unprecedented rate in Africa. It's one of the deadliest plagues in history, and what's even more frightening, is that it's happening right now at this very moment.

The most tragic result of this epidemic is the stunning number of healthy children left homeless and starving as a direct result of the deaths of their parents and relatives. Two million children in Kenya alone have their lives forever changed by AIDS and its horrible consequences.

According to the UN, they have grossly underestimated how bad the AIDS crisis will be and that it has the potential to depopulate some of Africa’s countries. Because of AIDS, life expectancy in parts of Africa has dropped below 40. While the epidemic has leveled off in the US, Africa is getting worse.

One reason for the increase in infection is that many AIDS myths still exist in Africa. In remote areas, doctors are even unwilling to tell patients they have AIDS, for fear of retaliation from families who are insulted by their diagnosis. Some believe that having sex with a virgin will cleanse the body from AIDS, so reports of rape gangs are not uncommon. Myths like these allow the disease to spread, so more become infected and the deadly cycle continues.

UNICEF states that the vast majority of the world’s youth have no idea what AIDS is, let alone know how to protect themselves from it. But prevention is working. In countries like Uganda and Zambia, where educational programs have been in place, infection has dropped 15 to 40 percent in only two years. Presidents and Prime Ministers are actively involved and working to bring awareness to their countries before their populations are devastated by this plague.

The Shepherd's Home was founded to push back against this tide of disaster.

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