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What Do Youthink! About AIDS?
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"chibisa," 23, Malawi
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"The work to fight AIDS at the moment is at peak although this disease spreads so fast. Many organisations are drilling the entire human race about the effects of this disease and we the youth of today are at risk of being poached by this deadly disease as the case is, making the situation so pathetic. My advice to my fellow youth all over the world is that we need not to be carried away with our desires for sexual relations and not letting sexual disires to master us but we need to be the masters of our desires. This can be achieved only if we the youth of today keep our zipper closed all the time until the time is ripe for us to be married. I therefore srongly put my emphasis on 100% abstenance. If we abstain, we will really be viewed as the ideal future leaders."
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Amy, 15, U.S.
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"Poverty is a huge, huge problem in our world today. So many people die of starvation every day. Are we afraid to face the facts? Youth in the United States seem to be ignorant of this. And AIDS is a bigger problem than most of my peers seem to realize. It's HUGE! And it won't get better if we just leave it alone.
"These problems are linked. AIDS is spread a lot from sex workers. Most of these sex workers need the money, or they or their children will starve. Also, most people in developing countries cannot afford the costly AIDS medicine. If we got rid of poverty, the AIDS problem would reduce drastically. We have to work to stop AIDS and poverty NOW or it will never happen.
"Another problem is that few of us know what to do about it, including myself. We're only high school kids; we can't do anything about it. Or that's what my peers seem to think."
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"abheep," 21, India
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"AIDS as a disease is deadly. But as a social stigma it is intolerable. Social stigma against AIDS victims, especially in developing countries, is a violent reminder of our inability to spread sufficient as well as efficient information about the disease. The Governments around the world, as also the transnational organizations should make a concentrated and accelerated effort to let people know more about the disease."
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"nnadomed," 21, Nigeria
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"World AIDS Day is recognized every December 1 around the world as an international day and event. This day is a world celebration of solidarity and care for the people living with HIV/AIDS and remembering the heroes and heroines who have died in the past, and also for raising awareness about HIV/AIDS. We narrate the impacts of the disease on the wider society.
"As I write this article, I remember so many dreadful pasts, some sorrowful moments and days when I cried on a World AIDS Day. I could not tell the story more better, I believe you should understand the picture in your minds. We are joining all people: men, women, youths and children all over the world to celebrate this memorial event 'World AIDS Day.' In my community, Nnado Foundation Inc. has been doing some pretty marvelous work in the area of awareness campaigns on prevention and care with the “Staying Alive Nigerian Project” which is receiving a great boost.
"But what becomes the fate of an infected person without money for treatment and feeding? A woman asked, 'Does it mean that this disease is incurable and our fate unknown? We will die! It should be for the rich people, who have the money for treatments, I cannot afford it,' she cried. We tried to explain some facts to her and others but it was very difficult to give them hope in the face of AIDS here in Nigeria, since we have no healing for them and they believe there should be hope with capital to enable them and treat them for a total cure. Yet the message we have for them was received and heard by all with mixed feelings.
"The bad disease has found its root here in Africa so deeply that the uprootment will take extra powers to achieve. The face of AIDS seems to have identified with the face of Africa and the soil that they are playing together at the expense of one. It is a dear terrible situation here and importantly we hear the message daily in very different mediums, yet action and choice becomes a problem. People are not seeing the impact themselves until the impact sees them and unveiling the realities by themselves, now even a child in primary school can educate or preach to you about the HIV/AIDS.
"This year in 2005, our slogan for World AIDS Day was, 'STAY ALIVE AND DEY KAMPE 2005 FOR TOMORROW.' Let us all over the world remembers Africa and its people this period because they are languishing and becoming prey to this predator 'AIDS.' Our youth are our strength but our strength is attacked to the fullest.
"Picture the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the past and the present and strategize for change tomorrow. Advocate for free drugs and cheap treatment for HIV/AIDS patients especially for the less privileged people in the rural communities and the have-nots; campaign for global justice and change in behavior by all; work for good legislations against stigma and advocate for the PLWHAs.
"Be the change today as we celebrate and commemorate the experiences and pray for a better World AIDS Day in 2006 and a possible world free of AIDS."
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"akubuking," 23, Nigeria
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"AIDS has come to become a development issue. We are faced with this epidemic and stigma fuel it. I hope that we will be able to resist and eliminate stigma in our work places. That is eradicating AIDS."
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Anonymous
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"I firmly believe information is the primary tool to tackle HIV/AIDS in the world. I say that because when people are informed they normally choose safety over temporary pleasure for instance when the Government of Eritrea with the help of the World Bank started the HAMSET program the spread of the disease did not increase as fast as it was in prior times and if the trend and cooperation continues we will soon see the decline of the disease. Making condoms easly available if they choose not to abstain is another way I noted the Gov. of Eritrea taking the initiative to combat this horrible disease. In that regard I would like to thank and encourage the ministry of health of Eritrea and even to a higher level I would to thank the Ministry of Information for making the timely public awareness. I also thank you the organization which is resposible for this kind of dialog."
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Josephine, 14, Denmark
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"I don't really know a lot of AIDS and HIV, since it's not a topic I talk about with my peers, parents, or teachers, although I know I am a bit more informed than my American buddies."
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