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A significant number of the dying family members are leaving behind partners who are also quite ill and unable to care for themselves. This sad state of affairs then leaves behind children who become orphans struggling to survive in the world all alone.

In 2003, the United States Government began a commitment to helping the situation of HIV and AIDS through the implementation of PEPFAR. This stands for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. This organization provides money to fight AIDS in many countries, most of which are African. The US is also the largest contributor to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Begun in 2002, The Global Fund started raising money from governments, businesses and individuals around the world, to be used for grant programs to combat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. A large amount of this money goes to African countries as well.

Treatment for HIV and AIDS in Africa needs lots of assistance to reach everyone who is infected. Antiretroviral drugs, or ARVs, have been available in richer countries since 1996. This is, essentially, a drug which can help prevent HIV from moving into AIDS, while allowing the infected to live somewhat normal lives. It is only recently that ARVs have become more available to Africans, although there are still only 1 in 5 of the millions of infected who have access to this drug. Statistics show that there has been improvement and is continuing to improve. Other treatment options for Africans with HIV and AIDS include available counseling and testing, nutritional assistance, treatment of other sexually transmitted diseases, as well as opportunistic infections. Another very important service provides the Africans protection from discrimination due to their illness. These are all measures taken with or without the added boost of ARVs.

Amazingly enough, there seem to be many Africans who, although are HIV positive, can remain very positive and upbeat about life. Martin Plaut, a writer for BBC News, met a young orphan boy named Bongani in a squatter camp called Freedom Park. Located northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, there were 20,000 people living there. AIDS was doing a very thorough job of wiping out this community. This was the home of Bongani, a little boy living with his grandmother. During the past year, he had lost his mother, father and aunt to AIDS. He was very ill himself, at that time. A year later, Mr. Plaut revisited Freedom Park and Bongani. The sick child he had last seen was now a healthy little boy who had not only grown physically, but was attending school regularly. He now dreams of being a school teacher when he grows up. The reason for Bongani's second chance at life was due to receiving ARVs at the cost of $3 a day. He is being helped through a clinic run by the Catholic Church out of old shipping containers. There are 16 health care workers who have made it their mission to do what they can for HIV and AIDS victims. When they started to receive funding from the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, patients like Bongani received all the ARVs needed.

The HIV and AIDS situation in Africa is a deadly serious one. Clearly, more needs to be done to help the victims in this part of the world. But it does seem there is hope on the horizon through worldwide awareness, funding, and education. One day there will be more stories like that of Bongani. With everyone pulling together, that day can come sooner rather than later.

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