Catholic Relief Services: People with AIDS do not have to die

This one wasn't the war against terrorism, or the invasion of Iraq; it was a fight to "turn the tide against AIDS in the most afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean."

Unlike the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, no one questioned the legitimacy of this $15 billion, five-year initiative called the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). It won national and international acclaim.

But the program is endangered today. In the midst of budget wrangling, Congress is considering maintaining the 2007 budget at 2006 levels, a decision that would ignore the critical increase the president has asked for to maintain and grow PEPFAR's reach.

In South Africa, this fledgling democracy whose very birth benefited from international support, AIDS presents a dreadful challenge that the government cannot combat alone, though it tries.

The statistics are horrifying. South Africa has one of the two highest numbers of HIV-positive people in the world. Today, 5.5 million people are infected. Hundreds of thousands of others are infected every year. Some 1,000 people die of AIDS every day in this country.

The most vulnerable are the likeliest to become infected by this disease whose consequences reach far beyond the individual, to the whole family, producing an even broader realm of endangerment. This is especially true of people who live in the remote, rural areas where they are served by local caregivers and agencies like Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and AIDSRelief, its consortium of international partners.

We Will Pray with You: Light Your Virtual Prayer Candle

If the budget for these programs does not grow as scheduled, priests, doctors and nurses may not be able to serve those who come for help, a failure that diminishes the dignity and credibility of the server, not to mention the larger benefactor - the United States in this case.

The vast majority of AIDS victims are not world wise, though. They are the poorest and most vulnerable people. They live in shacks. They have no water or electricity. They are hungry. I have been to many places where people are so sick, they cannot eat. They have children they cannot feed. They themselves cannot hold on.

If you can keep such a mother alive for another year, or another two years, it can make all the difference in the lives of her children.

CRS was chosen as a major distributor and manager of PEPFAR's allocation for South Africa, as it can use its widespread Catholic network to reach some of the remotest parts of the country. Working with international partners through its AIDSRelief consortium and with local partners on the ground, CRS has helped save literally thousands of lives.

If PEPFAR funding doesn't increase as it was scheduled to do, in CRS' AIDSRelief program alone, at least 2,500 people targeted for aid will likely die. Their children will become orphans, and - left to themselves with no source of income and no parental guidance - will be at risk to become infected themselves.

We have the means to break this cycle. The drugs are available, and there are dedicated people on the ground willing to provide services in communities that would otherwise be neglected.

No elaborate facilities are required. Right now, about 10,000 people receive antiretroviral treatment and at least 30,000 people are receiving HIV care in 24 CRS service programs throughout the country, mostly in medically under-serviced rural areas. One program operates out of a Catholic hospital. Another provides care from a renovated freight container. One of the most successful is a mobile program operating out of the back of the car, providing care for people who live in shacks with no running water, no toilets and no electricity.

The budget for the third year of CRS' five-year PEPFAR grant was over $15 million dollars in South Africa alone. This year, that number was slated to grow to nearly $19 million. The good being done by this growing program is immeasurable, and will be jeopardized without that increase.

We ask you, humbly, to help.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you. Help Now >

HIV infection is preventable and AIDS is treatable. People with AIDS do not have to die. We can prevent many of the conditions that make people vulnerable to infection - conditions like desperate poverty, lack of awareness and information. Existing drugs can save lives, make it possible for people living with AIDS to go back to work, to raise their children, and to contribute to the development of the country.

The alternative is unacceptable.

Ruth Stark is the South Africa country representative for Catholic Relief Services, based in Johannesburg.

Contact

Catholic Relief Services
http://www.crs.org ,
Ruth Stark - ,

Email

Keywords

Free Catholic PDF's - Home / Parish / School / Bulletin Inserts

More Catholic PRWire

Showing 1 - 50 of 4,716

• « Prev
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• Next »

A Recession Antidote
Randy Hain

Monaco & The Vatican: Monaco's Grace Kelly Exhibit to Rome--A Review of Monegasque-Holy See Diplomatic History
Dna. Maria St. Catherine Sharpe, t.o.s.m., T.O.SS.T.

The Why of Jesus' Death: A Pauline Perspective
Jerom Paul

A Royal Betrayal: Catholic Monaco Liberalizes Abortion
Dna. Maria St.Catherine De Grace Sharpe, t.o.s.m., T.O.SS.T.

Embrace every moment as sacred time
Mary Regina Morrell

My Dad
JoMarie Grinkiewicz

Letting go is simple wisdom with divine potential
Mary Regina Morrell

Father Lombardi's Address on Catholic Media
Catholic Online

Pope's Words to Pontifical Latin American College
Catholic Online

Prelate: Genetics Needs a Conscience
Catholic Online

State Aid for Catholic Schools: Help or Hindrance?
Catholic Online

Scorsese Planning Movie on Japanese Martyrs
Catholic Online

2 Nuns Kidnapped in Kenya Set Free
Catholic Online

Holy See-Israel Negotiation Moves Forward
Catholic Online

Franchising to Evangelize
Catholic Online

Catholics Decry Anti-Christianity in Israel
Catholic Online

Pope and Gordon Brown Meet About Development Aid
Catholic Online

Pontiff Backs Latin America's Continental Mission
Catholic Online

Cardinal Warns Against Anti-Catholic Education
Catholic Online

Full Circle
Robert Gieb

Download 100's of Prayers for free

Three words to a deeper faith
Paul Sposite

Relections for Lent 2009
chris anthony

Wisdom lies beyond the surface of life
Mary Regina Morrell

World Food Program Director on Lent
Catholic Online

Moral Clarity
DAN SHEA

Pope's Lenten Message for 2009
Catholic Online

A Prayer for Monaco: Remembering the Faith Legacy of Prince Rainier III & Princess Grace and Contemplating the Moral Challenges of Prince Albert II
Dna. Maria St. Catherine Sharpe

Keeping a Lid on Permissiveness
Sally Connolly

Glimpse of Me
Sarah Reinhard

The 3 stages of life
Michele Szekely

Sex and the Married Woman
Cheryl Dickow

A Catholic Woman Returns to the Church
Cheryl Dickow

Modernity & Morality
Dan Shea

Just a Minute
Sarah Reinhard

Catholic identity ... triumphant reemergence!
Hugh McNichol

Edging God Out
Paul Sposite

Burying a St. Joseph Statue
Cheryl Dickow

George Bush Speaks on Papal Visit
Catholic Online

Sometimes moving forward means moving the canoe
Mary Regina Morrell

Action Changes Things: Teaching our Kids about Community Service
Lisa Hendey

Easter... A Way of Life
Paul Spoisite

Papal initiative...peace and harmony!
Hugh McNichol

Proclaim the mysteries of the Resurrection!
Hugh McNichol

Jerusalem Patriarch's Easter Message
Catholic Online

Good Friday Sermon of Father Cantalamessa
Catholic Online

Papal Address at the End of the Way of the Cross
Catholic Online

Cardinal Zen's Meditations for Via Crucis
Catholic Online

Interview With Vatican Aide on Jewish-Catholic Relations
Catholic Online

Pope Benedict XVI On the Easter Triduum
Catholic Online

Holy Saturday...anticipation!
Hugh McNichol

• « Prev
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• Next »