li Help For AIDS Victims: People Show They Care (NAPSA)—Thanks to caring individuals worldwide, new hope for a better life may soon come to manyof the 36 million people—95 percent of whom live in developing countries—whoare infected with HIV/AIDS. Women are becoming increasingly affected by HIV and approximately 47 percent of adults living with HIV/AIDS are women. Each day, another 15,000 peo- ple—including 6,000 women and 1,600 children—becomeinfected with HIV/AIDS, studies show. In many countries, HIV/AIDS is rapidly reversing the hard-won development achievements of the past 50 years. Individuals in many countries are often misinformed about how HIV/AIDS spreads and the fear and confusion they feel become an epidemic within themselves. By providing individuals with education, information on preventing the disease and coping strategies, international family planning programscan serve as an effective means to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, say experts. One example of success in AIDS education is CARE’s Tang project, an HIV prevention project for youth and mobile fishing populations in eastern Kenya. A Tang project representative, Mueni Lundi, helps people like Atieno, a Kenyan woman whois HIV-positive and lost her husband to AIDS. Atieno was too ill to care for her children or send them to school. She couldn’t even afford to fix the leak in her roof, forcing her to abandon her house. Mueni and the peer educators at Tang worked to inform and encourage Atieno to find solutions to her problems. She decided to start a small business fh Around the world, concerned individuals are bringing hope, compassion and understanding about AIDS to needy families. and has joined a women’s support group. The moneyshe now earns allows her to send her children to school and patch the leak in her roof. Support from women like Muenihas given Atieno a new perspective on living with HIV. CARE’s Tangproject is the type of education resource that can help HIV-positive individuals cope with the disease and prevent others from acquiring it. AS a means of continuing these types of successes, CARE has joined forces with Audubon, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Population Action International and Save the Children to educate Americans about the importance of international family planning. Family planning programs overseas educate youth about options for safer sex and provide couples access to birth control. The themeof this year’s World AIDS Dayis “I care, do you?” To learn more about international family planning and how to get involved with the organizations that advocate for it, you can visit www.familyplanet.org.
