Today is World AIDS Day and I’m writing to pass on some really cool news. We are right around the corner from achieving one of the most important milestones in the fight against AIDS – virtually eliminating mother-to-child transmission of the disease by 2015.
For nearly ten years, I’ve dedicated myself, through my work with Grassroot Soccer, to educating young people across Africa – the region hardest hit by this disease -- on the importance of knowing their status and how to stay HIV negative. Our goal is to create a generation that is more informed and better equipped to beat this disease. During my trips to Africa, I come into contact with children who have lost one or both parents to HIV (nearly 14 million children across Africa have been orphaned by AIDS) or with children who are HIV positive themselves (90% of all children who contract the disease are in Africa). This is not OK.
What I have realized is that the most powerful thing that can be done to equip these kids is to give them an HIV-free, healthy start at life. And, that is completely possible. The treatment exists to virtually eliminate the chance that an HIV positive pregnant woman will pass the virus to her baby and yet only about half of all women who need the treatment have access -- over 1,000 babies are born every day with the disease. The amazing thing is that more than a dozen global health organizations have come together to work to increase access to treatment to all women who need it, and virtually eliminate transmission of the disease, by 2015.
Still, this is just one step in the right direction. We must maintain pressure on governments and these organizations to continue the progress – to maintain funding and focus on the issue so that this goal is achieved. Today, (RED) is launching a campaign “The AIDS Free Generation is Due in 2015” to help get people involved and raise awareness of this goal around the world. We’re asking people to tweet with #turnred, turn their Facebook profile picture (RED), to shout #turnred when checking in to foursquare to unlock the (RED) 2015 badge and more. Every action will help turn a map of the world (RED) to show the support spread around the world.
It will be a beautiful day when every child starts life without the burden of this disease. That day is not too far away.
Learn more at WWW.JOINRED.COM.
Ethan Zohn was a professional soccer player for the Hawaii Tsunami and Cape Cod Crusaders and in Zimbabwe for Highlanders Football Club. He is also the winner of the hit reality show, Survivor:Africa and used his prize money to co-found Grassroot Soccer, which uses the power of soccer to provide African youth with the knowledge, life-skills and support to live HIV-free.
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