“We live in a completely interdependent world, which simply means we cannot escape each other. How we respond to AIDS depends, in part, on whether we understand this interdependence. It is not someone else’s problem. This is everybody’s problem.” /Bill Clinton/
Of all the age groups young people are the most affected by the AIDS pandemic especially girls in the Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2012 alone an estimate of 35.3 million people were living with HIV with Sub-Saharan Africa being the most affected with 69% of the people in the area living with HIV.
The 1st of December has been selected to commemorate World AIDS Day yearly since 1988. The theme for this year’s World AIDS Day continues to be "Getting to zero: zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths” a theme that speaks not only to the progress that has been made in the worldwide effort to eliminate HIV/AIDS, but also the work we must continue to do to achieve our “zero” goals. This theme seeks all stakeholders to work together as one and share responsibility towards the fight against HIV/AIDS. Halting and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS is a key Millennium Development Goal and a challenge that the World Assembly of Youth (WAY) has given principal priority in all its development activities.
Adopting a multi-sectorial approach that solicits committed participation of all stakeholders in the fight against HIV /AIDS has been and remains a high priority for action throughout all our work from both behind the office desks to the field. It is the time to work hand in hand and build defenses to save our future generations and to protect the people infected and affected by the epidemic. Let all acknowledge this challenge and commit to respond with renewable responsibility, sensitivity and vigor.We should not let all our past efforts to combat this disease go to waste; it is only a matter of time for us to achieve our goal.
Like President Barrack Obama said, “An AIDS-free generation is within our reach”, we need not despair.
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