Five million people were contaminated with AIDS in 2005. This was the highest increase since 1981 when the first case was detected. Based on the report presented on November 21 by the UNO, presently there are 40.3 million people who are affected with the disease, 64% of whom live in the Sub-Saharan Africa. More than one-half of them are between the age of 15 and 24 years old. Six thousand young people are affected daily throughout the world. Is it possible to do something?
The Daughters of Charity believes that it is. Thus filled with hope, they have organized a new project in Africa. Together with the Community of St. Egidio, they recently signed an agreement to work in the African countries and Madagascar with the objective of fighting against AIDS. This community has prepared a strategy named DREAM (Drug Resources Enhancement against Aids and Malnutrition). The project involves attending to pregnant women who are HIV/AIDS positive so that their babies may be born disease-free. This guarantees free access to therapy and entails an over-all focus that allows one to fight against the effects of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and malnutrition.
For now, the Community of St. Egidio takes charge of the formation of the Sisters and the lay personnel as well as its technical aspect (placing the laboratories up and running, follow-up and evaluation of the program.) The Daughters of Charity, for its part, will carry out the project. The Province of Mozambique was the first one to commit to the said program and others are also preparing for it. Fr. Robert Maloney,CM, former VMY Director General, is the present Director of this joint Project.
What do you think can the VMY do to support the Sisters in this project? Can our VMY groups do a “twinning” with the VMY groups in Africa who would like to work as volunteers for this project? How can VMY help to prevent this terrible affliction?