Nigeria has the third highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS
in the world, and there are more than 930,000 children in the nation
who have been orphaned by the disease. Nigeria has already devoted
many resources to fight the pandemic, but my HIV/AIDS Initiative
will help the government coordinate its efforts to expand the scale
of their treatment programs. We'll focus on increasing the number
of Nigerian kids who receive treatment through technical assistance
and donated pediatric AIDS medicines.
Liberia has a different problem with HIV/AIDS. In a country of
3.5 million, there are only 26 doctors registered to work. As a
result, we aren't even sure how many Liberians have HIV/AIDS, and
there are few systems in place for proper care and treatment of
people with the virus. Only 600 Liberians currently receive HIV/AIDS
treatments, but we're working with Liberia's remarkable new President,
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, to dramatically increase that number. I have
a lot of confidence in President Johnson-Sirleaf, and I believe
she will be an effective leader in this effort. She has the brains
and the vision to overcome the myriad challenges Liberia faces.
Driving through Liberia, it's clear how poor the country is and
how much strife it's citizens have endured. There's very little
infrastructure, and many people live in inadequate shelters. Roughly
85 percent of the population is unemployed, and Liberia will need
to increase access to education and employment to move the country
forward. Liberia has a remarkable young population— over 40
percent of Liberians are under 14 years old— and it's critically
important that there are opportunities for these children when they
reach adulthood. In Monrovia, I spoke with about 150 high school
and college students. These students have been through so much adversity
in their lives, and yet I was inspired by their resilience potential.
They were candid and thoughtful, and their questions made it clear
how dedicated they are to creating a better future for Liberia.
These young people are aware of the work that needs to be done and
of their roles as Liberia's leaders of tomorrow. If you saw how
committed they all were to improving their nation, you'd share my
hopes for Liberia's future.
Now that I've had a little time to think about everything I saw
on my trip, I'm struck by all the different way people are contributing
to our fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Many of Africa's leaders
are fully engaged in this battle and understand how high the stakes
are. They're working to develop systems to care for their citizens
and to support efforts to educate and protect them. Dedicated health
care professionals, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and
others, are on the front lines, doing everything they can to care
for people living with HIV/AIDS and to provide treatments to keep
their patients healthy. Many people who are on life-saving AIDS
are sharing in this critical endeavor by educating their communities
about the importance of getting tested, avoiding risky behaviors,
and taking their medicine every day. A number of drug manufacturers
have agreed to lower their prices for AIDS treatments to ensure
that people in the developing world have access to the same medicines
that people in wealthier nations do.
In America, people like Bill and Melinda Gates are thinking hard
about HIV/AIDS and using their resources to solve the AIDS crisis.
Here and abroad, concerned citizens are doing everything they can
to save lives. You can help too, by donating to support this fight,
educating others, or in a myriad of other ways. Whether you hold
a bake sale or write a letter to the editor of your local paper,
the important thing to remember is that we can all make a difference.
Our combined efforts can accomplish more than you might realize.
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