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Standing Together to Overcome Stigma
President Clinton’s foundation in Africa has helped millions of people access health care, microfinance, sanitation, and clean water
By: Article from clintonafrica.org
I’m back home in Chappaqua, New York, following my return from Africa, writes Bill Clinton on his website - clintonafrica.org.
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As I think back over everything I saw and did in Africa, my thoughts keep returning to a soccer field in Lusaka, Zambia, where I met an energetic and courageous group of kids - some HIV-positive, some not.
They were led by a man named Victor, who left his job at the Ministry of Agriculture after losing his mother and three half-sisters to HIV/AIDS and decided to dedicate his life to educating his peers about health and HIV prevention. Victor co-founded an organization called Africa Directions, which runs a youth recreation centre. He is also part of the Zambia Scouts Association, which is helping to teach children across Zambia about HIV/AIDS through soccer and other games. During my visit, Victor invited me to watch a soccer match and to play a game with about twenty children that emphasized the importance of HIV/AIDS testing. I watched as the kids stood shoulder to shoulder and formed two lines facing each other. Each row was given a tennis ball to pass behind our backs, and as we did, Victor led cheers and encouraged everyone to hide their passes.
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After a few minutes, he announced it was time to stop passing the ball and called on a participant from each row to identify where the opposing team’s ball ended up. Each child made a guess, but no one got it right, prompting laughter from the players. Victor explained that the tennis ball is like HIV/AIDS: you can’t tell if someone has HIV/AIDS just by looking at them. He then led the kids in a frank discussion about the virus, stressing the importance of testing and explaining that we must give our “teammates” with HIV the care and support they need.
Over 130,000 children are living with HIV/AIDS in Zambia, and I’m proud that my Foundation is working with the Zambian government to make testing available to all youth in Zambia - even babies as young as six weeks old. clintonafrica.org/2007
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