empowering

The article I read, which was featured on the ONE blog, explains how the U.S.-funded AIDSRelief program has worked with Rwanda's Ministry of Health in addressing HIV/AIDS in the country. The article discusses how the focus of the program has shifted from emergency relief to building an infrastructure and helping the Rwandan government institute preventetive and stable care. Three things the program has focused on have been how the funds granted can be used most efficiently, the implementation of high-quality HIV/AIDS care, and community involvement in the health care system.

I really liked this article because it illustrates what can happen when funds are appropriated and utilized correctly. HIV is no longer a death sentence, as the article says, but programs like these need to be implemented so that patients can receive the care that they need. HIV/AIDS and global public health are topics that highly interest me, and I like reading about ways in which people are addressing these pressing issues. Though we are facing a budget deficit in our country, I think that we should continue our humanitarian efforts. We don't spend nearly as high of a percentage of GDP on humanitarian aid as some other countries, and yet we still have a huge effect. I think that the U.S.'s national identity as a country with integrity will only continue if we continue to help others, and this article was an inspiring story of how our aid half a world away can make a huge difference in the lives of people.

{via ONE blog}