my folks left for africa a few days ago and before she departed, my mom asked me if there was anything that she could bring back for me.
sure mom, how bout a housekeeper?
citing the emancipation proclaimation, mom refused. then i asked for diamonds and she stopped talking to me.
my mom is kind of tagging along with my dad, she'll be visiting some wildlife preserve in kenya and touring the vineyards of south africa (its supposed to be like napa 30 years ago) and lounging at the spa at sun city while my dad is handling some pretty serious business. at the behest of the pope jp trey and president dubya, he's gotten himself involved in delivering AIDS relief to sub-saharan africa.
some of you may recall that dubya pledged $15 billion in AIDS relief money for africa. well in actuality, its $12 billion over the next four years as $3 billion was already included in the previous years fiscal budget. but i won't start a rant on dubya's faulty accounting and get all political on yo azz. i guess my dad's name came up when they were looking for someone to get the ball rolling so off he went to the land of lumumba, mandela, and h.r.h. haile selassie (jah! rastafarai!) to get a lay of the land.
the task ahead is enormous in scope. first off, most african countries don't have the infrastructure to absorb an influx of billions of dollars of aid money. also, there are hardly any medical professionals to administer treatment. the current miliken institute review on economic policy (yeah.. i'll read just about anything) reports that the united states averages about 2.7 trained physicians per thousand people. europe has 3.9 per thousand while sub-saharan africa has only 0.1. under developed african nations spend about 6 percent of their average $300 per capita gdp on health (that's $18/person) in comparison to connecticut, which spends more per person than the 38 low income countries of sub-saharan africa combined. AIDS has wiped out entire generations. there isn't anyone to raise livestock, tend crops, or work as nurses and medical technicians because everyone between the age of 15 and 50 is dead. you've got orphaned children and the grandparents that are raising them and that's it.
i don't mean to paint a picture using only the dark colors but the facts are the facts. health care in developing countries is still better than it was a few years ago thanks to cheaper and easy to use advancements such as vaccinations. however, AIDS medications aren't cheap and you need at least three inhibitors or blockers for proper treatment. of the estimated 25 million people with HIV/AIDS in africa, only 50,000 receive treatment. child mortality rates (death before the age of 5) is expected to reach 300 per 1,000 live births by the year 2010 without intervention.
the future is bleak but not without hope. relief money is there and the treatment will follow closely behind. in kenya, father d'agostino has founded and operates nyumbani, an orphanage for children with HIV/AIDS. he has created an amazing international network that spans the globe to educate and advocate for both the treatment and prevention of the disease.
sorry bout getting all serious. i'll be back later with something a little more light-hearted.
sure mom, how bout a housekeeper?
citing the emancipation proclaimation, mom refused. then i asked for diamonds and she stopped talking to me.
my mom is kind of tagging along with my dad, she'll be visiting some wildlife preserve in kenya and touring the vineyards of south africa (its supposed to be like napa 30 years ago) and lounging at the spa at sun city while my dad is handling some pretty serious business. at the behest of the pope jp trey and president dubya, he's gotten himself involved in delivering AIDS relief to sub-saharan africa.
some of you may recall that dubya pledged $15 billion in AIDS relief money for africa. well in actuality, its $12 billion over the next four years as $3 billion was already included in the previous years fiscal budget. but i won't start a rant on dubya's faulty accounting and get all political on yo azz. i guess my dad's name came up when they were looking for someone to get the ball rolling so off he went to the land of lumumba, mandela, and h.r.h. haile selassie (jah! rastafarai!) to get a lay of the land.
the task ahead is enormous in scope. first off, most african countries don't have the infrastructure to absorb an influx of billions of dollars of aid money. also, there are hardly any medical professionals to administer treatment. the current miliken institute review on economic policy (yeah.. i'll read just about anything) reports that the united states averages about 2.7 trained physicians per thousand people. europe has 3.9 per thousand while sub-saharan africa has only 0.1. under developed african nations spend about 6 percent of their average $300 per capita gdp on health (that's $18/person) in comparison to connecticut, which spends more per person than the 38 low income countries of sub-saharan africa combined. AIDS has wiped out entire generations. there isn't anyone to raise livestock, tend crops, or work as nurses and medical technicians because everyone between the age of 15 and 50 is dead. you've got orphaned children and the grandparents that are raising them and that's it.
i don't mean to paint a picture using only the dark colors but the facts are the facts. health care in developing countries is still better than it was a few years ago thanks to cheaper and easy to use advancements such as vaccinations. however, AIDS medications aren't cheap and you need at least three inhibitors or blockers for proper treatment. of the estimated 25 million people with HIV/AIDS in africa, only 50,000 receive treatment. child mortality rates (death before the age of 5) is expected to reach 300 per 1,000 live births by the year 2010 without intervention.
the future is bleak but not without hope. relief money is there and the treatment will follow closely behind. in kenya, father d'agostino has founded and operates nyumbani, an orphanage for children with HIV/AIDS. he has created an amazing international network that spans the globe to educate and advocate for both the treatment and prevention of the disease.
sorry bout getting all serious. i'll be back later with something a little more light-hearted.
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yah us third worlders run in to lots of trouble when moving to countries with extensive record systems....my mother actually always says i'm a year younger or something...and months are off in Laos and Thailand...ack i'm confused...i'm just gonna have a rock'n birthday month. lol
Thanks for the track.