Half of Africa Is Disappearing
A commentary by Rex Sexton
United Church of God pastor, Olympia and Tacoma, Washington
The
children sang for us! So excited were they that they began singing as
soon as my wife, Patty and I came through the door of the small room. Their
round faces with large gleaming eyes smiled broadly. They could see that we
were obviously enjoying their melodious tunes—belted out with as much
volume and enthusiasm as three, four, and five years olds could produce.
One by one they took turns dancing for us, gleefully clapping their
hands as we clapped along with them. The children relished this opportunity
for some fun and joy. Perhaps these precious youngsters understand that
they have so little to be joyful about.
We could not visit this group of 21 beautiful children at their homes.
They have no homes. They have no parents. All of their parents have died
recently of HIV/AIDS. Four of these youngsters are also HIV positive.
We met them last month in Gabaronne, Botswana. There the Holy Cross
Hospice and Orphanage is operated by the Episcopal Church to help ease
the suffering of people dying of AIDS and their orphans.
Our oldest daughter, Hollie, who is spending four months as a medical
volunteer in Gabaronne before entering Medical School at the University
of Washington, divides her time between the Hospice and the Hospital.
Our visit with her was our first time to be in Africa.
The director of the Hospice and Orphanage gave us a tour of the facility.
We saw room after room of people dying of AIDS and their most common
fatal infection, tuberculosis. She asked me to raise any funds possible
when I returned to the USA. "We have thirty more orphans coming
in next month," she told us, "and we have no where to put
them and not enough money for their food."
A large portion of the native population of southern Africa is dying.
Efforts to deal with the problem in some cases only are making matters
worse.
Our daughter is living in a home with other volunteer doctors and medical
students from the US. We asked them about what they had seen concerning
the HIV epidemic while in Africa. "The most striking thing," one
of them related, "is that almost all of the patients we see are
under the age of twenty-five or over fifty. It's as if all of the
people between those ages have died off." Hollie's most difficult
experience has been watching babies die.
Botswana is reported to have the highest AIDS rate in Africa. But the
students told us that this statistic is very misleading. In Botswana
the government provides medical care and is actually testing for AIDS
and providing medicine and drugs. So they are able to track the disease
and keep records.
The surrounding nations do not provide medical care and don't
know how serious the problem is. Whole families and villages are disappearing.
Thousands of people are dying in droves and the problem is almost beyond
comprehension.
People from neighboring nations such as Zambia and Zimbabwe steal across
the border every day hoping to get medical care in Botswana, but unless
they can prove citizenship they are denied treatment.
The government of Botswana is very aggressive in trying to deal with
the HIV epidemic. But the problem continues to increase. Billboards,
newspapers, bus stop benches, and even shirts are plastered with HIV
slogans such as, "Know Your Status" and "Always Be
Sex Safe"—referring to condom use. Free condoms are passed
out seemingly everywhere you go in Botswana.
Though condoms could slow down the problem, they are not the complete
answer. The only effective answer is for the people to hear and heed
the words of our Creator.
He has made this promise: "If you will listen to …the
Lord your God and …keep His commandments…I will put none
of these diseases upon you" (Exodus 15:26).
His seventh commandment is "You shall not commit adultery." If
just that one commandment were observed by everyone, even for only one
generation, sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV could be defeated.
What does the future hold for the southern half of Africa? According
to the medical volunteers, well over half of the black population will
die off in the next twenty years. People from India, China, and the North
African Muslims are moving in to occupy the region.
 God
intended that His laws would give those who obey them peace, health and
happiness—or, in the words of Jesus Christ, "life more
abundantly." To learn more about God's Commandments—and
why we should keep them—please request, download or read online
our free booklet, The Ten Commandments.
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