Some People Don’t Have a Choice . . .

Today is World AIDS day and the first day of World AIDS month (go figure the day is the first day of the month). I am collecting caregiver kits on behalf of an organization, World Vision, to help out those with AIDS in other countries. These kits go to helping whoever who is taking care of an AIDS patient, its basic stuff like antibacterial soap and latex gloves. I have a small goal, to make 10 kits, but in reality getting people to help provide the materials for that many is hard to do. If you live near me and are interested in picking up stuff for a kit next time you go to Walmart, I provided a list at the bottom of this post. I will probably mail them out next week, so please get them to me before then.

In many places around the world, whole families are ransacked by AIDS. This is sickening, the whole culture of the people revolves around surviving with AIDS in their community. Its an epidemic of sort, only realized in the USA not too long ago, 1981. It is not limited to homosexuals, as some assume. It spreads often because people are either in denial of it, or they don’t know enough about it. All to often children become the caretakers of their families because their parents have died from the virus. Famine, poverty, and rape all have roots within it. Jesus was concerned about the sick and the poor, and hence we should too. Just today, since midnight, 3800 children have already been orphaned because of the virus (estimated). One hundred of those just since I have been on the computer. And its not the end of the day yet! Approximately 6000 children are orphaned daily because of it. Although the majority of those with HIV are adults, 2.5 million children are also infected with it. If you don’t know much about AIDS, its worth spending 5 minutes of your time learning about, if nothing else but to be thankful for your non-HIV infected self and to harvest some compassion for the 33 million people wake up to the reality of AIDS daily. Here are a few links:

http://www.avert.org/world-aids-day-quiz.php
http://media.worldvision.org/getinvolved/aids_experience/index.html
http://www.wvexperience.org/learn_crisis.asp

Also, if you’d like to help me with a caretaker kit, here are the ingredients:

Thank you for assembling Caregiver Kits! Each item that goes into the kit(s) you assemble helps
empower local caregivers to provide safe and compassionate care for people living with AIDS.

1 storage container (12-qt. plastic sweater box with lid)
1 notebook (80- to 100-sheet)
4 pens
1 container of petroleum jelly (13 oz.)
3 bars of antibacterial soap
1 box of disposable gloves, latex only* (50 or 100-count)
4 colored washcloths
1 flashlight
2 batteries for flashlight
1 tube of antifungal cream (Clotrimazole or Miconazole brands only*, 1 or 2 oz.)
1 bag of cotton balls (200-count)
A handwritten card to encourage the caregiver who receives the kit

*Please purchase latex gloves only and be sure the antifungal cream is one of the two brands listed.
These items have proven to be most effective in caring for people living with AIDS; please do not
substitute other brands or types of products as they may need to be removed from the kits and replaced.

(cost approx. $25 at a drugstore, unless you buy contents at a local discount store).