The DRC has been labeled by the U.N. as the "rape capital of the world"
1,100 women are raped every single day - and this number is considered conservative based on the fear, shame, and stigma of rape in the DRC
The wars in the DRC have claimed nearly the same number of lives as if 9/11 happened every single day for 360 days, the genocide that struck Rwanda in 1994, the ethnic cleansing that overwhelmed Bosnia in the mid-1990s, the genocide that took place in Darfur, the number of people killed in the great tsunami that struck Asia in 2004, and the number of people who died in Hiroshima and Nagaskai- Take those numbers combined and then DOUBLE them and you have the number of lives lost in the DRC
There are 5,000,000 orphaned children in the DRC- the entire population of Scotland
770,000 are from AIDS
If an HIV+ mother receives the antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy, the chance of spreading it to her child are LESS than 2%
Less than 5,000 HIV+ people in the Congo are receiving the antiretroviral medications
You can only get HIV from unprotected sex, sharing needles or sharp objects with an infected person, pregnancy, birth, and/or breastfeeding, and blood transfusion with infected blood.
Since the invention and use of the antiretroviral medications, there have been NO cases of transmission through normal family living.
You can't get it from urine, tears, sweat, mosquito bites, kissing, sharing drinks and utensils, bathing together, swimming together, sneezing, hugging, using hot tubs, playing sports, using public toilets, changing diapers....
The HIV virus is extremely fragile outside of the human body
If an HIV+ child has a bloody wound, a paper towel is enough protection to stop transmission
If HIV+ blood splashes on you and you have no open wounds, your skin is a protective barrier that will guard against transmission
If an HIV+ child is on the antiretroviral treatments and you have open wound to wound contact, your chances are slim due to the viral load being basically non-existent
HIV is considered a chronic, but manageable disease
With proper medical care, HIV+ people can live indefinitely, get married and have children
HIV+ orphans are the most overlooked when it comes to adoption and they wait the longest to find their forever family
STIGMA is the greatest challenge of being HIV+
Education is the #1 way to defeat the stigma
I didn't know either. But once I started learning, I found the Lord convicting my heart. How could I turn away?
"Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
If you say, 'But we knew nothing about this,' does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?" - Proverbs 24:11-12
I love this post Kristen! I might just have to repost it on my blog if that's okay with you?!
ReplyDeleteABSOLUTELY!!!!!!! You know I will advocate with everything I have :) PLEASE SHARE!!!!
DeleteSo good to get this info out -- too many people don't know the most updated information. Thanks for being a voice for children!
ReplyDeleteNancy
Wow, there is actually a lot here I didn't know-like the paper towel thing or the medicine being enough to reduce open wound contact spread....and even realizing that it is now considered a chronic, but manageable disease....that is the same description my asthma has! :) And I consider my asthma no biggie-and it has never stopped me from playing sports or marching in the college band! Good for you to know that you can do this-You are going to be amazing as a mama to these two sweet children and I'm excited to see the rest of the story.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing about HIV, Kristen. I've learned a lot about it in the past year as I researched adoption. The more I spoke about it with others, the more I realized that most people still don't understand the disease and how many strides have been made to fight it. Praying for your journey!
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