World Aids Day

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Belle Regalo supports Ikageng Itireleng by contributing a portion of our profits to this valuable ministry.

When IS World Aids Day? 01 December 2008

What is the World Aids Day Theme?

The global theme for this year World AIDS Day is "Leadership" chosen by The World AIDS Campaign. This theme continues to be promoted with the campaigning slogan, "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise."

The 1st of December, World AIDS Day, is the day when individuals and organisations from around the world come together to bring attention to the global AIDS epidemic. 2008 marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. Whilst we have come a long ways since 1988, there is still much more to be done. Each of us has something unique to offer. You can make a difference.

Don’t just buy World Aids Day T-Shirts, buy World Aids Day Gifts that matter.

You may not know is that 01 December is World AIDS Day.

Instead of just buying things for your staff, think about buying gifts and donating them to people with AIDS. For example jackets or blankets. You can still brand them, but make the gifts useful. Think about first aid kits. People with HIV/Aids are prone to secondary infections, so first aid kits, water purifiers are also great ideas. Good nutrition is important for people with HIV or Aids. You can make up food packages.

Try to think sustainability with your World Aids Day gifts. Have branded gardening sets sent out to child headed households with seed packets so that they can tend their own vegetable gardens. Consider that many child headed households may not be able to get Christmas gifts and so you can consider sending toys and World Aids Day gifts to children.

How can you personally make a difference?

At Belle Regalo we sometimes see the huge hearts that some of our clients have. Not just corporate PR activities, but real people helping real people.

One of my clients has a driver who has AIDS. They bring fresh fruit to work every day for him. For the uninformed this may not seem like something big. But for this person it has made a huge difference. His weight has dramatically increased. He is healthier and is able to work longer hours.

Another client a few years back had a staff member with Aids, negotiating with the medical aid and the insurance companies was a huge task and for someone who is very ill that can seem far too large a task. The company handled all the negotiations for him and when he passed away his family was able to get benefits.

AIDS in South Africa

South Africa is currently experiencing one of the most severe AIDS epidemics in the world. At the end of 2007, there were approximately 5.7 million people living with HIV in South Africa, and almost 1,000 AIDS deaths occurring every day. 1

A number of factors have been blamed for the increasing severity of South Africa’s AIDS epidemic, and debate has raged about whether the government’s response has been sufficient. This page looks at the impact that AIDS has had on South Africa, the historical context of the epidemic, and the major issues surrounding the crisis.

Respect & Protect people with HIV/Aids

Show respect by always treating people living with HIV fairly, respecting their confidentiality and challenging prejudice wherever it occurs.
Respect themselves and their partners by always practising safe sex to protect their sexual health.
Find out the facts about HIV, spread the Respect & Protect message and encourage others to do the same.

It is difficult to overstate the suffering that HIV has caused in South Africa. With statistics showing that almost one in five adults are infected, HIV is widespread in a sense that can be difficult to imagine for those living in less-affected countries. For each person living with HIV, in South Africa and elsewhere, not only does it impact on their lives, but also those of their families, friends and wider communities.

With antiretroviral drug treatment, HIV-positive people can maintain their health and often lead relatively normal lives. Sadly, few people in South Africa have access to this treatment. This means that AIDS deaths are alarmingly common throughout the country. It is thought that almost half of all deaths in South Africa, and a staggering 71% of deaths among those aged between 15 and 49, are caused by AIDS. 2 So many people are dying from AIDS that in some parts of the country, cemeteries are running out of space for the dead. 3 A recent survey found that South Africans spent more time at funerals than they did having their hair cut, shopping or having barbecues. It also found that more than twice as many people had been to a funeral in the past month than had been to a wedding. 4

As well as the death and suffering that HIV has caused on an individual and community level, South Africa’s AIDS epidemic has also had a substantial impact on the country’s overall social and economic progress:

Average life expectancy in South Africa is now 54 years – without AIDS, it is estimated that it would be 64. Over half of 15 year olds are not expected to reach the age of 60. 5
Between 1990 and 2003 – a period during which HIV prevalence in South Africa increased dramatically – the country fell by 35 places in the Human Development Index, a global directory that ranks countries by how developed they are. 6
Hospitals are struggling to cope with the number of HIV-related patients that they have to care for. In 2006 a leading researcher estimated that HIV-positive patients would soon account for 60-70% of medical expenditure in South African hospitals. 7
Schools have fewer teachers because of the AIDS epidemic. In 2006 it was estimated that 21% of teachers in South Africa were living with HIV. 8

It is clear that AIDS is having a devastating impact on South Africa. There are many possible reasons why South Africa has been so badly affected by AIDS, including poverty, social instability and a lack of government action. One way to gain a better insight into the situation is to look back on the history of AIDS in South Africa.

Gender inequality and sexual abuse in South Africa

Although HIV prevention campaigns usually encourage people to use condoms and have fewer sexual partners, women and girls in South Africa are often unable to negotiate safer sex and are frequently involved with men who have several sexual partners. They are also particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse and rape, and are economically and socially subordinate to men. Police reports suggest that in 2004-2005 there were at least 55,114 cases of rape in South Africa 23, although the actual figure is undoubtedly higher than this since the majority of cases go unreported. In a 2006 study of 1,370 South African men, nearly one fifth revealed that they had raped a woman. 24 Rape plays a significant role in the high prevalence of HIV among women in South Africa.

Women often face more severe discrimination than men if they are known to be HIV-positive. This can lead to physical abuse and the loss of economic stability if their partners leave them. Since antenatal testing gives them a greater chance of being identified as HIV-positive, women are sometimes branded as ‘spreaders’ of infection.

The government has acknowledged that many women face ‘triple oppression’ in South African society – oppression on the grounds of race, class and gender – and has been making efforts to address this problem, through education and skills development schemes. 25 In September 2007 rape laws were strengthened to stop judges and magistrates taking into account factors such as a rape victim's sexual history, their apparent lack of physical injury, or the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator, when deciding on the length of the perpetrator's sentence.

Children with HIV/AIDS

With many women who are HIV-positive still not receiving drugs that could prevent them passing HIV to their babies, HIV infections are alarmingly common amongst children in South Africa. According to UNAIDS, there were around 280,000 children aged below 15 living with HIV in South Africa in 2007. 27

Children who are living with HIV are highly vulnerable to illness and death unless they are provided with paediatric antiretroviral treatment. Unfortunately there is still a shortage of such treatment in South Africa. The AIDS Law Project, an NGO based in Johannesburg, estimated that 50,000 children in South Africa were in need of antiretroviral drugs at the beginning of 2006, but that only around 10,000 were receiving them. 28 UNAIDS estimates that at the end of 2005, children accounted for 8% of those receiving antiretroviral drugs in South Africa. 29

As well as many children being infected with HIV in South Africa, many more are suffering from the loss of their parents and family members from AIDS. UNAIDS estimated that there were 1.4 million South African children orphaned by AIDS in 2007, compared to 780,000 in 2003. 30 Once orphaned, these children are more likely to face poverty, poor health and a lack of access to education.

Belle Regalo supports Ikageng Itireleng by contributing a portion of our profits form our World Aids Day Gifts to this valuable ministry. You can make a difference by buying World Aids Day gifts that you can donate to these children or even supporting Ikageng Itereleng Directly.

What is HIV?

HIV is a virus that attacks the body's immune system - the body's defense against diseases. The latest research suggests that between 70 and 90 per cent of people may experience symptoms of infection a few days after having been infected. Three symptoms occurring together: fever, rash and a severe sore throat should always be considered a potential indicator of HIV infection. These symptoms usually disappear within two or three weeks. Other people may not have symptoms to start with. In all cases, without effective treatment the immune system will eventually become very weak and no longer be able to fight off illnesses.

Are HIV and AIDS the same?

No. When someone is described as living with HIV, they have the HIV virus in their body. A person is considered to have developed AIDS when the immune system is so weak it can no longer fight off a range of diseases with which it would normally cope.

Is there a cure for HIV?

No, but treatment can keep the virus under control and the immune system healthy. People on HIV treatment can live a healthy, active life, although they may experience side effects from the treatment. If HIV is diagnosed late, treatment may be less effective in preventing AIDS.

What's it like living with HIV?

If people with HIV are diagnosed early and respond to treatment they can be healthy, work and have relationships like anyone else and have a long life expectancy.

Coming to terms with an HIV diagnosis and getting used to treatment can be very difficult however, and people living with HIV will often need support from healthcare providers, friends and family, employers and support organisations.

Why do people find it hard to tell others they are HIV positive?
People living with HIV may find it hard to tell others about their condition as they worry that people will reject them, or they will experience prejudice from friends, family and colleagues. People living with HIV can also experience discrimination in their workplace, in healthcare settings (e.g., GPs and dentists), from members of their local community and through the media.

HIV prejudice is often the result of ignorance about how HIV is passed on and unfounded fear of becoming infected. Encouraging those around us to talk about HIV and find out the facts can help overcome this.

This year think carefully about your World Aids Gifts. Choose World Aids Gifts that will educate and empower people. Don’t choose World Aids Day Gifts just to make a big RP splash. Carefully consider what message you are trying to spread with your World Aids Day gifts and then choose gifts that will help spread that message.