12 September 2002

Zambian Society Devastated by HIV/AIDS

By Lindsey Brooks
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The HIV/AIDS pandemic is playing a key role in the worsening
health crisis in Zambia and southern Africa, according to James Morris,
the U.N. secretary-general's special envoy for the humanitarian crisis in
six southern African countries.

"HIV/AIDS is devastating Zambian society," said Morris on September 9
while visiting the country, where an estimated 20 percent of the adult
population is infected with HIV. "Tens of thousands of people have
already died and many, many more are infected. One of the tragic
consequences is a very rapid rise in the number of orphans, as well as
households headed by children and elderly grandparents."

Morris, according to a U.N. press release made available in Washington, is
traveling on a two-week U.N. mission to six affected countries in southern
Africa: Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Lesotho, and Swaziland.

"In a home I visited today, I met 19 people, of all ages, living in two
small rooms. The grandmother had the entire burden of support on her
shoulders, and was doing everything possible to get the family through
each and every day," Morris said after a field visit on the outskirts of
Lusaka, on the last day of his three-day mission to Zambia.

In July, the release notes, the U.N. country team began an appeal for $71
million to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Zambia. However, the release
warned, only $23 million has been received for the 2.3 million people at
risk. The total U.N. appeal for the six affected countries is $611
million, of which $138 million has been pledged so far.

Crucial activities by the United Nations and its donor and nongovernmental
organization partners, in support of the government, include providing
adequate food relief as well as access to water and sanitation, heath,
nutrition, and agricultural and education support services.

Over the past year, the situation in Zambia -- one of the world's poorest
countries -- has become "critical," according to the release. A complex
mix of climatic, economic, and social issues has left millions of people
without adequate food and water.

The press release says that over the past 15 years, millions of people in
Zambia have been affected by HIV/AIDS. "While it is obvious that erratic
weather has contributed to the current food crisis in Zambia, it is also
clear that one of the key underlying factors is the depletion of human
resources as a result of HIV/AIDS," it says. The disease has eroded
agricultural productivity by eliminating the able-bodied men and women who
produce the nation's food.

People in both rural and urban areas are feeling the hardships of the
crisis. Many of the poorest people in urban areas cannot afford to buy
maize at current market prices and without food, they lack the strength to
fight HIV/AIDS or other diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, and
measles.

Morris also met with Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa during the
Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD).

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.)


Unless we act, the global AIDS pandemic will claim the lives of 68 million people by 2020, devastating societies all over the globe, particularly in Africa. This holocaust must be stopped. The Global AIDS Alliance is committed to an aggressive campaign that says it’s time to: Donate the Dollars, Treat the People and Drop the Debt! Join Stephen Lewis, UN Special Envoy to HIV/AIDS in Africa and honored guests at a fundraiser for the Global AIDS Alliance on Saturday, October 12, at The Century Plaza Hotel & Spa, 2025 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067. Program and reception to begin at 7:30 pm. No tickets required. Please RSVP to LAOCJubilee@yahoo.com