The Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation ( JRC ) in Evanston recently hosted a public discussion to explore the issue of AIDS in Africa and organize an effective response to the pandemic. In April, the JRC sent a delegation to Mbale, Uganda. In preparation for the journey, participants wanted to share information on their upcoming mission as well as hear from people who are experienced in HIV/AIDS-related humanitarian work.
Two of the invited speakers are involved in ongoing projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. Marge Cohen, M.D., founder of the Women and Children HIV Clinic at Cook County Hospital, spoke of Rwanda's first HIV clinic for women, which she started in 2004. Sara F. Jacoby, MPH and nursing student, presented the Mbale District initiative she participated in with the American Jewish World Service and the Jewish Volunteer Corp.
Cohen and Jacoby both made extensive use of statistics to underline the enormous scale of the human suffering caused by AIDS as it remains largely untreated. According to UNAIDS, 39.4 million people worldwide are currently living with HIV. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 70% of those who are infected, in spite of the fact that the continent represents a mere 10% of the world population. The UN estimates that only 4% of HIV-positive Africans have access to drug treatment. In Uganda alone, over 2 million children are believed to have lost both parents to AIDS. The disease has now become the country's leading cause of death in the 15-49 age group. As a result, 50% of Ugandans are under 14 and the national life expectancy is 45 years.
Cohen painted a brief picture of the situation at her overcrowded one-room clinic where patients are three to a bed. She said it costs $10,000 a month to keep it open and be able to provide the local community with disease prevention and treatment. Led by President Kabila, the Rwandan government is said to be supportive of grassroots non-governmental organizations ( NGOs ) who are in the region. The U.N. World Food Program also offers some relief and the international community has been sending or funding anti-retroviral drugs. Cohen mentioned that there was a 'relative absence of corruption', but she also added that, 'inflation is a disaster,' which makes financial planning a serious challenge.
Asked how often she intends to return to the Rwanda clinic in the future, Cohen replied that she is committed to going twice a year from now on. 'Because AIDS in Africa is the epidemic of our time. We have to do something about it,' she said. For specific guidelines on how to get involved she suggested consulting the 'Recommendations for International Donors' section of the Human Rights Watch Web site.
Across the border in Uganda, more than 200 NGOs have responded to the AIDS crisis and some progress is being made in the fight to reverse transmission levels. Jacoby credited a wide-reaching network of education and prevention for the success achieved in the Mbale District. The development project is a comprehensive one that has included the building of infrastructure, the delivery of primary care services, the distribution of basic goods like school supplies, and even the creation of a brass band with the help of donated instruments.
The village now has a modest health center, which doubles as a meeting place for young and old. To raise awareness of HIV/AIDS locals are being trained to be community health workers who can then go and either lead reproductive health workshops with women or engage at-risk youth. Jacoby refuted the claim that abstinence-only programs have significantly influenced attitudes toward sex. She said that what has resonated with Ugandans is the ABC approach, where A stands for abstinence, B for be faithful, and C for condom. 'They all know about ABC now, even the kids in grade school,' she reported.
For more information about the JRC delegation to Uganda, see www.ajws.org For Human Rights Watch, see www.hrw.org .
