Monday, August 21

underreported progress on AIDS in africa

in the boston globe, john donnelly relates progress in africa, partially owing to bush 43 initiatives.
Today, the change for the better is astonishing: Idoko now treats nearly 6,000 HIV-positive patients. He has expanded his clinic three times in five years, and his waiting room once again is too crowded. ``Now, we are eyeing an abandoned building nearby," he said last week, chuckling.
The major reason for Idoko's success is the Bush administration's AIDS program, which in the last three years has sent billions of dollars to Africa and helped save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
unfortunately, their appears to be institutional resistance to anything bush among
One telling moment in Toronto came last Sunday when Bill Gates, whose foundation has spent billions on global health in recent years, praised PEPFAR, prompting a chorus of boos from the audience.
that's right the two people who have perhaps devoted the most resources for causes in africa get booed.
the resistance likely stems from 3 buzzwords: 'abstinence', 'faith based', local. taking them one by one...
donnelly explains that less than 10% go towards abstinence programs. the wariness of support for faith-based orgs is undercut by the fact that africa's medical services (hospitals and clinics) often are run by them. finally the local control of resources fails in africa due to mind-boggling corruption in where leaders live it up at their countries' expense. the corruption proves so pervasive that it's allowed in sports)

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