WORLD AIDS AWARENESS DAY 01/12/07

BUY A RIBBON OR BADGE FROM YOUR STUDENT UNION OFFICE-TODAY!

Every year on 1st December people across the world gather to commemorate those who have died form HIV/AIDS, and to support those who are living with the disease.

Every year people have to be reminded that sub-Saharan Africa, with only 10% of world's population, is home to 60%of people who are living with HIV/AIDS.

25.8 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are living with the disease.

It is often said that HIV/AIDS has a woman's face - and that is true.  Women suffer disproportionately because of the disease.  but it is often forgotten that HIV/AIDS Nin Africa also has athe face of  a child.  Every year, in sub-Saharan Africa, 640.000 children are infected with HIV.  Without treatmen, half of them will die before their second birth - imagine that!  Nearly 90% of new child HIV infections across the world occur in sub-Saharan African.  These children are infected because their mothers have the disease.

Acess to tailored paediatric drugs is a major obstacle int eh protection of children.  To put it bluntly, children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have that access.  One drug alone - cotrimoxazole-can nearly half the number of chilodren who diefrom HIV/AIDS.  But only 1% of children, who need it, have access to the drug.

And when the parents die, the children are orphaned and many of them have to fend for themselves.

But the situation is not beyond hope.  It is up to us to campaign to ensure that the world makes adequate funds available to the GHlobal Fund to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.  We have to hold leaders like George Bush, Angela Merkel and Gordon Brown tot heir promises.  We have to make rich countries of the world aware of their obligationsto these children. WE CAN DO THIS!

With your help and donations the fight against HIV/AIDS can not fail, must not fail and will not fail!!

Buy a ribbon or badge today!

Thank you.

See Michaela or your SU office for more information