By CLARE NULLIS, Associated Press Writer
Saturday, June 23, 2007
(06-23) 11:13 PDT CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) --
Little Natasha is a giggling, wriggling bundle of mischief. She adores Barney the Dinosaur, claps along to her favorite songs, and throws a typical 3-year-old's temper tantrums.
Natasha, who picked up the AIDS virus in her mother's womb, also suffers from hearing problems, rashes and stomach upsets, and can't play outdoors too often because she easily catches cold.
But she is alive. So very alive.
Natasha's health represents a small but significant victory over an epidemic gripping South Africa and neighboring countries. AIDS drugs are turning what was a certain death sentence for infants and young children into a manageable disease, providing a glimmer of hope on a continent of gloom.
But a long, hard road lies ahead. In Sub-Saharan Africa, fewer than 10 percent of infected children are receiving the medication they need. Even in South Africa, which has a relatively advanced AIDS-fighting network, an estimated 5.5 million people are estimated to have the virus, including about 240,000 children, only some 25,000 of whom have had the treatment that saved Natasha.
Last year, an estimated 950 South Africans died each day from AIDS-related diseases and a further 1,400 were infected each day, according to the Medical Research Council. UNAIDS head Peter Piot warned a conference in the coastal city of Durban this month that for every person in the country who started taking AIDS drugs, another five contracted the virus.
And despite the grim statistics and never-ending funerals, many South African men continue to have unprotected sex with multiple partners despite government pleas to change their behavior.
On a continent where poverty, war and lack of education rob children of their futures, AIDS attacks on many fronts. Even children who survive are often orphaned and vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.
Natasha clung to life against the odds. She stood little chance of survival at birth. Doctors referred her to Bowy House, a love-filled home with room for about 15 children.
"She was so thin you could see through her," Lalie Lombaard said with a shudder. Lombaard has cared for dozens of children at the home in Paarl, a town about one hour's drive from Cape Town.
Given the stigma that still surrounds AIDS in Africa, the identities of children are fiercely guarded and their surnames are rarely released. Under the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, Natasha has the right to privacy.
She also has the right to life.
The South African government, long criticized for doing too little, now has the world's biggest treatment program, and children are a focal point of a five-year AIDS program unveiled in May. Authorities have also vowed to step up prevention programs to stop fetuses being infected. Other governments such as Zambia, Malawi and Botswana are also giving more priority to children.
UNAIDS and the U.N. Children's Fund say 2.3 million children in sub-Saharan Africa are HIV-positive, most of them infected by their mothers because they did not receive drugs taken for granted in wealthy countries to prevent transmission of the virus.
Globally, an estimated 530,000 children were newly infected last year and 380,000 died of AIDS, the vast majority in Africa. Without treatment, half of infected infants die before age 2.
Throughout southern Africa, child mortality rates have soared because of AIDS, reversing health gains from better sanitation and immunization even in relatively prosperous countries such as Botswana and South Africa.
When Natasha arrived at Bowy House, aged nine months, she had twig-thin limbs, protruding ribs and a balding head. Photographs taken only three months later show her restored to health, celebrating her first birthday with her parents and a pink-and-green cake decorated with fairies.
Her photo album gives snapshots of the many small signs of progress across southern Africa. Lower drug prices, easier diagnosis, and better training of health workers augur a dramatic increase in the numbers of lives that will be saved. And government efforts are being boosted by the Clinton Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, U.N. money and President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
There are a whole host of other programs. For instance, backed by funding from drug companies, the Texas-based Baylor College of Medicine has an acclaimed pediatric AIDS initiative with children's clinics in some of the most ravaged countries.
In Botswana, more than 3,800 children are receiving care and treatment at clinics affiliated with the Baylor initiative, including its flagship hospital in the capital, Gaborone. The aim is also to assign foreign physicians and nurses to ease debilitating staff shortages and train local health workers.
Other poor African countries are taking heart. For instance, the Zambian government has shifted its priority from purely high-risk adults to getting treatment to more children.
"The most significant success we have now is that we have a recognition that this is a priority area," said Albert Mwango, AIDS medical coordinator at Zambia's health ministry.
Eric Goemaere, the head of Medecins Sans Frontieres in South Africa, blames lack of political will for past inaction, because child AIDS wasn't a problem in North America and Europe and drug companies had little financial incentive to develop a child-friendly therapy.
In 2005, 57 children in the U.S. were infected by their mothers. In the impoverished Cape Town slum of Khayelitsha alone — home to some 500,000 people — it was three times as high, according to Goemaere.
Khayelitsha, where one in four pregnant women is infected, is now home to one of South Africa's busiest anti-AIDS programs, with about 500 children on medication. Wednesdays are dedicated pediatric days and the no-frills clinic set up by MSF reverberates with children's shouts.
Children have remarkably few side-effects, partly because their systems cope better, says Goemaere. But there are other problems; older children battle with rejection by family and friends and often lapse into depression, he says.
The very young can't swallow tablets and have to take multiple doses of syrup, according to a body weight formula that can baffle caregivers — often illiterate grandmothers. The medicine needs to be refrigerated, difficult in poor areas with no electricity. And cash-strapped caregivers often can't afford the cost of driving kids to clinics.
But there is progress. Prices of ARV drugs for children have come down dramatically over the past 12-18 months. The Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative negotiated a reduction in the cost of pediatric drugs — often taken in combination — to $60 per year. Pharmaceutical companies previously accused of being greedy are now lining up to fund children's projects in a complex network of public-private partnerships.
The local government provides drugs free of charge to Bowy House, where Natasha has spent most of her life and has come to regard its care-givers and children as her family. Staff there recently drove her on a seven-hour journey over mountains and dirt roads to spend time with her mother, who is dying of AIDS. Natasha has an extended family in her dusty village, but her father is unable to care for her. There is no electricity and no schools.
The girl's favorite activity is to "go tata" — out for a drive. She adores weekends at the beach, being pushed in a stroller and feeding the ducks. In summer she and her friends chase through the garden sprinklers, despite the risk of catching cold.
"In general we forget that they are ill children. They are naughty and full of mischief but when we see how quickly they can have a setback it reminds us that they aren't normal," says Lombaard.
Natasha's day begins with breakfast and then her first drink of medication at 8 a.m. — she'll have another at 8 p.m. She doesn't complain about the foul taste because she knows it makes her feel better.
There are morning songs and dance. Natasha, who wears a hearing aid, is partial to "If You're Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands."
At lunch, she opens her mouth full of cottage pie and laughs hilariously.
Children at Bowy House are assigned a color to give them "ownership" of something — Natasha has an orange teddy bear in her cot.
She knows how to defend herself against Luvo, a boisterous 3-year-old boy who also looked like a famine victim when he arrived at Bowy House and now revels in annoying the girls. And she thrashes in fury when Lombaard, her surrogate mother, has no time to pick her up.
The home is an example of the localized care that many experts say should be Africa's model. The government pays for the medication, but its founder, Hester Veldsman, who founded Bowy House, relies entirely on private donations and struggles to meet monthly expenses of $9,500 and is always grateful even for donations of diapers and groceries.
And what happens when communities don't care or can't cope?
In Zimbabwe, about 1.3 million children — or one in five — are classed as orphans and 100,000 live in child-headed households, according to UNICEF estimates. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's confrontation with the West has caused humanitarian aid to plummet and families are collapsing under an inflation rate heading toward 4,000 percent.
Zimbabwe's official media regularly report on children being raped by HIV-infected men who believe sex with a virgin will cure them.
Similar abuse has been reported in impoverished Lesotho and Swaziland, where AIDS has slashed life expectancy to the mid-30s and left an army of orphans vulnerable to exploitation. School enrollment rates for girls have dropped as they quit to care for younger siblings and sick parents or simply can't afford the fees.
In Zambia, the AIDS-related death of parents and grandparents coupled with migration to cities has left many rural children with nobody to care for them. Faith-based organizations are struggling to fill the gap.
In Cape Town, a church-based charity called Act of Grace plans to use some 150 shipping containers as emergency shelters for AIDS orphans.
Veldsman even now is overcome by tears when she thinks of Bowy, the 5-year-old boy for whom it was named, and who died months before AIDS drugs became available.
She counts Natasha as one of her victories.
"The doctors gave up on her, and I said, No, we can't give up," said Veldsman.
Aside from the medicine, there was one other vital ingredient in Natasha's survival, Veldsman said: "Tender loving care."
___
AP correspondent Joseph Schatz in Zambia contributed to this report.
Questions:
1. Who is Natasha? How old is she? According to the article, what do you think about her health condition?
2. In Sub-Saharan Africa, what percentages of infected children are receiving the medication?
3. Where was Natasha referred to?
4. If there is no treat for the infected infants, what will happen to them?
5. Is there any problem about the older children and young baby for the caregivers? What are they?
6. What have happened to some girls in Lesotho and Swaziland?
7. Is there a similar situation in your country?
8. When I finished reading, I felt very depressed for the children. They are innocents, but they have to burden to fight the horrible disease. What do you think about this article?
Monday, June 25, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
Types of ELI students
Every year, more and more students come together from different countries to study English at ELI, UB. They have the same goal to achieve more proficiency of English as they could. According to ELI students' ages, we can classify them into different types.
The first of all, students' ages under 20 becomes the youngest group of ELI. They are only 19 or 20 years old, just graduated from high school in their countries. They are going to study at UB or other colleges in the U.S.A. Because they are too young to have enough experience to live by themselves. Most of them have never lived)away from their family, or their hometown for such a long time. They are studying English here, although some of them are still like children and spend more time playing than studying . At meanwhile, they are learning how to deal with different people, how to cook, and how to arrange their own lives without their parents' help. However, young students are doing well for their lives at ELI, and still constantly obtain more experiences on living independently.
Secondly, there is a middle age group. Their ages are between 21 and 26, which is the largest group at ELI. Most of them are matriculated students. Some of them are graduate students. They plan to study after the ELI program. This group of students are also very young, but they are better than the youngest group. They have some experience on how to live independently. But they are still like children, just living away form their family. The students in this group spend more time studying than playing with others. They would rather travel or visit some beautiful places instead of playing computer games.
Finally, there is a special group whose ages are older and most of them are married and have children. They have worked many years in their countries before they came here to study at ELI. It's really hard for them to be students again. They want to learn more about English and their major. These students are more mature and know more about liveing independently. They desire to learn more and spend most time studying. They help younger students and take care of them as they can.
Even though the ages are broad at ELI, they have the same purpose to study English. No matter how old they are, they will enhance their English skill together at ELI. Let's give all the types of ELI students some courage. Good luck!
The first of all, students' ages under 20 becomes the youngest group of ELI. They are only 19 or 20 years old, just graduated from high school in their countries. They are going to study at UB or other colleges in the U.S.A. Because they are too young to have enough experience to live by themselves. Most of them have never lived)away from their family, or their hometown for such a long time. They are studying English here, although some of them are still like children and spend more time playing than studying . At meanwhile, they are learning how to deal with different people, how to cook, and how to arrange their own lives without their parents' help. However, young students are doing well for their lives at ELI, and still constantly obtain more experiences on living independently.
Secondly, there is a middle age group. Their ages are between 21 and 26, which is the largest group at ELI. Most of them are matriculated students. Some of them are graduate students. They plan to study after the ELI program. This group of students are also very young, but they are better than the youngest group. They have some experience on how to live independently. But they are still like children, just living away form their family. The students in this group spend more time studying than playing with others. They would rather travel or visit some beautiful places instead of playing computer games.
Finally, there is a special group whose ages are older and most of them are married and have children. They have worked many years in their countries before they came here to study at ELI. It's really hard for them to be students again. They want to learn more about English and their major. These students are more mature and know more about liveing independently. They desire to learn more and spend most time studying. They help younger students and take care of them as they can.
Even though the ages are broad at ELI, they have the same purpose to study English. No matter how old they are, they will enhance their English skill together at ELI. Let's give all the types of ELI students some courage. Good luck!
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Life in Buffalo
My father-in-law lived in Buffalo for more than 1o years. He loves this city, even though the winter in Buffalo is very long. Before I couldn't imagine how beautiful Buffalo is, and how could this city made my father-in-law so fascinated. After I lived here for several weeks, I understand him. Buffalo is really a beautiful and convenient city.
Buffalo is beautiful, especially in the Summer. Because of its unique location, many tourists come to Buffalo. They come from different countries to enjoy the sunshine in Buffalo, then they travel to the great Niagara Falls and Canada. People live in Buffalo are very kind and polite. They are welcome you either travel or study. I went to a concert with my husband at the first time when I just arrived her. We can't find our seats. When we were looking at our tickets and trying to find our seats back and forth, people who sat there asked us with smile:" Can I help you?". Thankful their help, we found our seats and enjoyed the concert finally. Next time, if you have any trouble on finding any places, just ask for people walking around you. I believe people will be pleased to help you at any time.
It's really convenient for me to buy any kinds of food. "SMS" is a big supermarket, which price of food there is cheaper than any other supermarket. Because it is a club supermarket, which means you have to join as a membership and pay the $40 annual fee so you can go to SMS and shop there. I think it's a good deal for you if you go and shop at SMS often. You can buy not only food, but also consumer goods.It's also cheaper. But the disadvantage of SMS is that they don't have as many kinds of food to sell as Wegmans or Tops. Wegmans and Tops have many branches in Buffalo. Both of Wegmans and Tops are have discount card. You can apply for it at the service center of any of the branches, and it's free. Each week they will list all the discount food on their catalog. You can compare their price then decide where to buy. I prefer Wegmans. Because the price is cheaper than Tops, and they have their own brand of food. If you come from Asian, you can find sushi and Chinese food in Wegmans. Each Friday and Sunday, there will be a shuttle bus takes you from South Campus to Wegmans and some other Malls. But Tops has its advantage. It only takes you 5 minutes to walk from South Campus to TOPS. There is another shopping place I want to introduce is " Walmart". You can find many kinds of consumer goods in Walmart with low prices.
In conclusion, Buffalo is a good place. In Summer, it's a good time for you to travel. In winter, it's also a right place for students to study at home or school. Come and enjoy your life in Buffalo, I am sure you will not be disappointed.
Buffalo is beautiful, especially in the Summer. Because of its unique location, many tourists come to Buffalo. They come from different countries to enjoy the sunshine in Buffalo, then they travel to the great Niagara Falls and Canada. People live in Buffalo are very kind and polite. They are welcome you either travel or study. I went to a concert with my husband at the first time when I just arrived her. We can't find our seats. When we were looking at our tickets and trying to find our seats back and forth, people who sat there asked us with smile:" Can I help you?". Thankful their help, we found our seats and enjoyed the concert finally. Next time, if you have any trouble on finding any places, just ask for people walking around you. I believe people will be pleased to help you at any time.
It's really convenient for me to buy any kinds of food. "SMS" is a big supermarket, which price of food there is cheaper than any other supermarket. Because it is a club supermarket, which means you have to join as a membership and pay the $40 annual fee so you can go to SMS and shop there. I think it's a good deal for you if you go and shop at SMS often. You can buy not only food, but also consumer goods.It's also cheaper. But the disadvantage of SMS is that they don't have as many kinds of food to sell as Wegmans or Tops. Wegmans and Tops have many branches in Buffalo. Both of Wegmans and Tops are have discount card. You can apply for it at the service center of any of the branches, and it's free. Each week they will list all the discount food on their catalog. You can compare their price then decide where to buy. I prefer Wegmans. Because the price is cheaper than Tops, and they have their own brand of food. If you come from Asian, you can find sushi and Chinese food in Wegmans. Each Friday and Sunday, there will be a shuttle bus takes you from South Campus to Wegmans and some other Malls. But Tops has its advantage. It only takes you 5 minutes to walk from South Campus to TOPS. There is another shopping place I want to introduce is " Walmart". You can find many kinds of consumer goods in Walmart with low prices.
In conclusion, Buffalo is a good place. In Summer, it's a good time for you to travel. In winter, it's also a right place for students to study at home or school. Come and enjoy your life in Buffalo, I am sure you will not be disappointed.
Monday, June 4, 2007
New 7 wonders
http://www.new7wonders.com/index.php
1. The Great Wall of China (220 B.C and 1368 - 1644 A.D.) China
I choose The Great Wall because I am a Chinese. The Great Wall is China's proud, and it's the only one visible from space. If you walk at the Great Wall, it makes you breathtaking. Do you think it's really amazing?
2. The Taj Mahal (1630 A.D.) Agra, India
Because this building represents real LOVE. It is said that the emperor built the beautiful building according to her life's dream. After his beloved wife died, he spent 22 years to build this unique structure to memorize his lover. Finally, the emperor died in The Taj Mahal. What a sad love story it is!
3.Stonehenge (3000 B.C. - 1600 B.C.) Amesbury, United Kingdom
It is really amazed me what on earth these kind of stone are? Who can move such huge stone around 3000 B.C. - 1600 B.C. without modern equipment? What is the purpose for it? I wonder if there really exist human-beings live outside the earth? Hope in the sooner future, scientists can discover it.
4.The Roman Colosseum (70 - 82 A.D.) Rome, Italy
Because of the movie" the Gladiator", I vote this great amphitheater. I believe inside that amphitheater, a lot of Innocent poor people died for making rich people laugh. They fought for freedom, for liberty.
5.The Pyramids of Giza (2600 - 2500 B.C), Egypt
When I was a little girl, I heard about the Pyramids. I realize that Egypt is a mysterious place because of the Pyramids. I want to know everything about the Pyramids. Watching all the movies or fictions about the Pyramids. In the ancient, people can build such accurate grave for emperors. Even nowadays, our intelligent can't exceed the people who built the Pyramids.
6.Machu Picchu (1460-1470), Peru
" In the variety of its charms and the power of its spell, I know of no place in the world which can compare with it." These words came from Hiram Bingham who wrote the book " Lost of the Incas". Machu Picchu impresses me not only it was a city in the clouds on the mountain, but also that book. This city was built on a mountain at an elevation of about over 2350-2430 feet, and it has been "lost" for more than 3 centuries.
7. The Statue of Liberty (1886) New York City, U.S.A.
This is the symbol of liberty. French gave this Statue of Liberty as a gift when the United State of America independent for 100 years. She is standing there as a witness welcome more and more ships deliver many immigrants come to the U.S.A. for freedom and liberty.
1. The Great Wall of China (220 B.C and 1368 - 1644 A.D.) China
I choose The Great Wall because I am a Chinese. The Great Wall is China's proud, and it's the only one visible from space. If you walk at the Great Wall, it makes you breathtaking. Do you think it's really amazing?
2. The Taj Mahal (1630 A.D.) Agra, India
Because this building represents real LOVE. It is said that the emperor built the beautiful building according to her life's dream. After his beloved wife died, he spent 22 years to build this unique structure to memorize his lover. Finally, the emperor died in The Taj Mahal. What a sad love story it is!
3.Stonehenge (3000 B.C. - 1600 B.C.) Amesbury, United Kingdom
It is really amazed me what on earth these kind of stone are? Who can move such huge stone around 3000 B.C. - 1600 B.C. without modern equipment? What is the purpose for it? I wonder if there really exist human-beings live outside the earth? Hope in the sooner future, scientists can discover it.
4.The Roman Colosseum (70 - 82 A.D.) Rome, Italy
Because of the movie" the Gladiator", I vote this great amphitheater. I believe inside that amphitheater, a lot of Innocent poor people died for making rich people laugh. They fought for freedom, for liberty.
5.The Pyramids of Giza (2600 - 2500 B.C), Egypt
When I was a little girl, I heard about the Pyramids. I realize that Egypt is a mysterious place because of the Pyramids. I want to know everything about the Pyramids. Watching all the movies or fictions about the Pyramids. In the ancient, people can build such accurate grave for emperors. Even nowadays, our intelligent can't exceed the people who built the Pyramids.
6.Machu Picchu (1460-1470), Peru
" In the variety of its charms and the power of its spell, I know of no place in the world which can compare with it." These words came from Hiram Bingham who wrote the book " Lost of the Incas". Machu Picchu impresses me not only it was a city in the clouds on the mountain, but also that book. This city was built on a mountain at an elevation of about over 2350-2430 feet, and it has been "lost" for more than 3 centuries.
7. The Statue of Liberty (1886) New York City, U.S.A.
This is the symbol of liberty. French gave this Statue of Liberty as a gift when the United State of America independent for 100 years. She is standing there as a witness welcome more and more ships deliver many immigrants come to the U.S.A. for freedom and liberty.
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