EDITORIAL Step up
the Fight for a Healthy Africa
There is nothing sweeter than a healthy smile on a healthy face. Don’t
we all dream of a better life, abundant life with health for all?
Yet,
years pass and while we still wait for that time when access to health
facilities will be available for all. That time when malaria will no longer
kill babies and none will be scared of going for an HIV/AIDS test.
How much do you know about the facts on AIDS and health in general? Read this - Ten million youth live with HIV/AIDS - Every year six million children die from malnutrition before their fifth birthday - More than 50 percent of Africans suffer from water-related diseases such as cholera - Everyday HIV/AIDS kills 6,000 people and another 8,200 people are infected - Every 30 seconds an African child dies of malaria - Each year, approximately 300 to 500 million people are infected with malaria and - TB is the leading AIDS-related killer and in some parts of Africa, 75 percent of people with HIV also have TB. Gloomy, isn’t it?
What else can we add to such clear and heart wrenching information? If not to say that there is much to do for those of us who dream of a healthy Africa. While governments and international NGOs do their part, we call on you in this edition of INSPIRE to make the fight for a healthy Africa, a personal one. Wherever you are, whoever you are and whatever you do, see yourself as an advocate for health. You need tips: • Encourage anyone around you to get informed about diseases like AIDS and Malaria • Be present for the needy. • Shun stigmatisation of the sick, especially those with HIV/AIDS • Join positive campaigns that enlighten and clarify otherwise mythical issues • Wear a smile and share a smile always. Does not look like much, but it is a beginning. You may also want to check on what youths like you and I are doing to support the development of Africa. The website of nayd, www.nayd.org is a good place to start. Hopefully, the passion for development will push you to join us and start making real changes around you for a healthy Africa. Pochi Tamba