Alicia Keys’ Journey to the Motherland

It starts and ends with the actions of people. We are witnessing the complete annihilation of entire communities of people. Human beings, like you and me, infected with the deadliest virus known to man: HIV/AIDS. The virus has led to the deaths of millions of fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. The most affected are children. This devastating disease has created over 13 million orphans in Africa alone. In fact, before AIDS hit Africa the word ‘orphan’ did not even exist. Africa has been called the cradle of civilization, where all life began. It is where our roots are. You could call it “Mother Africa”. The tragic irony is what the continent needs most is ‘Mothers’ fighting to keep their children alive in a place where one child dies every minute. This has become a race against time, not just for Africa, but for the entire human race.

AND YET THE VIRUS CAN BE STOPPED. Through the use of life-saving antiretroviral drugs easily available in the West, but badly needed in Africa. These drugs provide treatment that has transformed the lives of people with HIV / AIDS in the West, returning them from sickness to health. But in Africa, fewer than 5% of children with HIV / AIDS. have access to these life-saving drugs. And parents are dying mercilessly in front of their children.

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