World AIDS Day…Leadership and Zimbabwe

In recognition of WORLD AIDS Day, December 1^st 2008. On December 1 every year, all nations around the world come together to commemorate World AIDS Day.

I hope that on this day, you all pause and take a moment to commemorate those who have succumbed to the effects of HIV/AIDS, to celebrate the great medical strides that have been made in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and to consider those who still suffer due to the social barriers that hinder the access of many, to the newly available interventions that could otherwise save lives, and alleviate much pain and suffering.

"Leadership" is the theme for this year’s World AIDS Day as was chosen by the World AIDS Campaign as the theme for World AIDS Day 2007 and 2008. This theme will continue to be promoted with the slogan "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise."—the World AIDS Campaign (WAC) emphasis from 2005-2010.

Still gutted and in utter disbelief we have arrived to the day we remember our beloved who have been infected and affected by the AIDS pandemic. The theft for money meant to buy anti-retroviral drugs was the worst sign of official heartlessness in the midst of a desperate situation people living with HIV/AIDS find themselves in. We can then ask ourselves, do we have leaders in Zimbabwe?

Good leaders are made not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader, in Zimbabwe the class of leaders we have are effective in one thing alone that of creating disaster.

“President Mogae’s outstanding leadership has ensured Botswana’s continued stability and prosperity in the face of an AIDS pandemic which threatened the future of his country and people.” Zimbabwe’s Mugabe has gone in the opposite direction and now the USA will never trust the reserve bank as officials seized funds intended for the most vulnerable people. Gideon Gono then went on to try and blame the looting of the funds on a critical cash shortage, which he claimed had been caused by the suspension of paper to print bank notes as a result of sanctions imposed on Western countries. The explanation is utter gibberish in the fact that all these problems came from the poor leadership that has become the norm in our crisis ridden country.

“The former President of Botswana has demonstrated what leadership – and perseverance – can achieve in the face of extreme challenges – the Ibrahim Prize represents a pinnacle in Mr Mogae’s efforts to stop the spread of HIV, not only in Botswana but throughout Africa. He is a true visionary and an exemplar to other leaders around the world,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot.

In Zimbabwe such people are the enemies these are the people that our regime do not wish to talk of or in the least emulate, they want to be different to such icons. There is no harm in being different so long as you are not both different and negative in your approach.

Mogae’s leadership has made a difference in Botswana’s AIDS response. He was President of Botswana from 1998 to 2008 and made the AIDS response one of the top priorities of his administration. Botswana is a small prosperous country yet with 24% of adults aged 15-49 estimated to be living with HIV; the country has one of the world’s highest HIV prevalence rates. More than one third of all deaths in children under 5 are due to AIDS.

Although HIV is such a heavy toll on the population, thanks to government leadership and the dedication of considerable domestic resources to HIV, the country has made significant progress in its response to the disease.

Botswana was the first African country to embark on a programme of rolling out free antiretrovirals to all its citizens living with HIV in need and in 2007 delivered HIV treatment to more than 90% of those who need them. In addition to treatment, it has made impressive strides in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission and caring for children orphaned by AIDS.

The country has also been a leader in expanding voluntary HIV testing and counselling – the offer of HIV testing has been routine in all health care settings since 2004. Whilst Botswana makes inroads Zimbabwe’s healthcare has imploded, we can’t even talk of a system anymore, how unfortunate.

Certainly I know it is a human catastrophe, that the virus is running through our populations on a scale that is unimaginable, in an area of the world ill-equipped to cope. It even sometimes most affects the more skilled and better trained..

All in all, in Zimbabwe it is a disaster far worse than anything anyone expects at the time the worst crisis is rocking the country. Zimbabwe is not a society without hope. People cope - there are "a thousand and one coping strategies" one HIV activist once said.

But still, the brave attempts of Zimbabweans to live life as normal in the face of a disaster unlike anything we can conceive, is both sad and impressive. As Zimbabweans we are fighting on all fronts. With a new breed of leaders we will certainly move ahead and see to it that the vulnerable are catered for.

At present the crisis caused by foreign currency shortages and hyperinflation has the country's health system on the verge of collapsing. A government HIV/AIDS program stopped taking new patients in October 2006. With access to government-sponsored treatment now impossible for most, the private market is out of reach as well.

Among the victims of this epidemic are millions of children, who are either infected or orphaned. Almost one in four children in Zimbabwe, 1.6 million, are now orphaned, having lost at least one parent, and this number is growing," UNICEF representative Festo Kavishe mentioned. "HIV and AIDS have dramatically increased children's vulnerability in recent years to the point where Zimbabwe now has the highest percentage of children who are orphans in the world." However, despite the nation's severe economic crisis, UNICEF said 90 percent of the orphans have been taken in by extended family members.

All the same true leadership has come from relatives, the churches and NGO’s as there appears to have stabilisation in Zimbabwe - declines appear to be under way, probably in part due to their effective prevention campaigns. The campaign would be complete with the government playing a central role, but no. Despite the bleakness of Zimbabwe’s situation and circumstances, Zimbabweans are braced for the struggle with a passion for life that is visible in their faces. They have not resigned to fate and everyday they push on in the hope that the government will one day change and or share power whichever comes first.

Zimbabwe is a country on the brink of disaster, and many of the promises that it once held are fading away. The current downward spiral can be traced back to the corrupt leadership of Zimbabwe; the policies have put the country against the wall. Zimbabwe is a country that is sliding into an ever-expanding crisis. However, even in these dark times for Zimbabwe there is hope. I believe that with proper management and education of the people, Zimbabwe can become a role model country in Africa. We have to stand together and chart the way forward for our country. As we commemorate this day let us remember we are not alone in this world and so we should be there for our neighbours.

Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.”

Leadership was selected as the theme for World AIDS Day to encourage leaders at all levels to stop AIDS. We are all leaders; let us stop AIDS as a unit. The theme empowers everyone from individuals to organisations to governments to lead in the response to AIDS. YES WE CAN!