"... not a cause ... an emergency."Bono It is estimated that a child is orphaned by AIDS at the rate of one every 14 seconds. Whole nations are being weakened by this disease. We risk losing the next generation. We must fight HIV/AIDS.

Who are the most affected?*
Of the 40 million people living with AIDS worldwide, over 25 million are African. Of that group, more than 57 percent are women. In part because of cultural limitations on female rights and freedoms, Africa is the only region in the world where more women are infected than men. In addition, almost two million HIV-positive Africans are under 15. Children are infected in utero or during breastfeeding, and more than 90 percent of adult infection is through sexual transmission between a man and a woman.

How are women affected?*
For physiological and social reasons, women and girls are particularly susceptible to sexual transmission. Often bound by cultural traditions that afford them a much lower social standing than men, they cannot control the sexual behavior (including adultery) of their husbands, and have no voice in contraception. Due to poverty, many women seek income as sex workers, further spreading the disease. Ignorance about HIV/AIDS exacerbates the situation. For example, many men believe that having sex with a virgin will actually cure the disease. As a result, child molestation and rape are not uncommon.

How are children affected?*
Almost two million African children younger than 15 are infected with HIV/AIDS—90 percent of the worldwide total of children living with HIV/AIDS. In countries like Zambia and Zimbabwe, AIDS has increased the infant mortality rate by 25 percent. In addition to those infected by the disease, orphaned children have become one of the most significant populations in need of support. There are more than 12 million children orphaned by AIDS in Africa, and 15 million worldwide. That number is expected to reach 25 million by 2010, with more than 18 million orphaned children in Africa. In addition, there are roughly 30 million children around the world made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS, and this group is expected to grow to 50 million by 2010. These are children whose parents are sick, whose families have taken in extra children or who live in communities where there is not enough food, teachers or health workers due to AIDS.

*All information taken directly from literature printed by World Vision.

from AMERICA...

Pound for a Pound has been helping America's most desperate children for over two years.  Our partnership with America's Second Harvest has just begun.  One pound lost translates to 20 pounds of groceries donated which is four full bags feeding over 16 meals.  Way to Go Pound for a Pound members!  Here's an example of the huge need...
 

Gale Ribar
Director of Community Programs
Woodbury, MN

My Name is Gale Ribar and I manage three food shelves in the St. Paul area. I'm sure most of us are familiar with domed sports stadiums. In Minnesota, we have the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome where more than 55,000 people can watch the Twins play baseball or the Vikings play football. 55,000 is also the number of children, aged 12 and under, that fight hunger in Minnesota every day. 


                Thanks Pound for a Pound members for being part of the solution!