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GALLERY: Africa’s First Ladies Gather In Los Angeles

Written by News One on April 23, 2009 5:18 pm

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The first ladies of 15 African nations held a rare gathering Tuesday to talk about dealing with HIV/AIDS, infectious disease and gender inequity on their continent.

Though many of the women have seen each other socially, often on the arms of their husbands in Washington or at the United Nations, it was the first time they gathered in the United States to candidly discuss the problems faced by women and children in Africa.

The meeting was co-sponsored by the nonprofit group US Doctors For Africa, which is based in Los Angeles, and African Synergy, a charitable group formed by 22 first ladies of Africa.

“First ladies have a unique role. They exist outside the political realm to some degree but have a very powerful role in their communities” as role models to everyday Africans, said Cora Neumann, an organizer for US Doctors For Africa.

“There’s never been a summit focused exclusive to them,” Neumann said.

A news conference hosted by Sharon Stone and Danny Glover was held last week to announce the event. Plans also included a fundraiser with a performance by Natalie Cole and a luncheon hosted by California first lady Maria Shriver.

Dressed in an array of fine suits and colorful traditional ensembles, the women spoke passionately in French and various African dialects through translators at the Skirball Cultural Center.

HIV/AIDS remains one of the toughest problem faced by Africa. The continent is home to nearly 70 percent of all adults and 80 percent of all children living with HIV/AIDS, according to US Doctors For Africa. Other infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis have also plagued the continent.

Some of the first ladies called for improved nutrition for children and pregnant mothers, along with clean water, sanitation infrastructure and inexpensive tools such as insecticide-treated bed nets to help combat malaria.

The first ladies all called for better education for girls.

“Developing partnerships with the education sector will give us significant mileage in preventing maternal and child mortality in the long term,” Kenyan first lady Ida Odinga said.

The World Health Organization estimates that 121 of every 1,000 children who survive childbirth in Kenya will die before they reach age five.

The children who do survive are often left without parents, especially when faced with epidemics of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Kenya has 2.4 million orphans, Odinga said.

Neumann said US Doctors For Africa will check in with some of the first ladies throughout the next year to gauge their progress.

Some of the first ladies have already been working as health advocates in their countries.

First lady Nyama Koroma of Sierra Leone said she’s been working to rebuild hospitals and medical infrastructure in the years since the country’s bloody civil war.

Experts from the World Health Organization, Gates Foundation, U.S. Agency for International Development, World Bank and RAND were among those who participated in round-table discussions alongside the first ladies.

Tags: Africa, California, HIV/AIDS, Los Angeles
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  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Rudy836/ Rudy836

    If anyone is listening.As far as Aids is concerned it should be treated as any contagious fatal disease.

    A consensus needs to be done where everyone is tested for Aids.The individuals who are found to have Aids need to be quarintined from the rest of the population.This can be done by giving a infected person a tattoo to identify them as being infected or separating them physically from the population.I dont like the way these methods sound either,but its the only effective way we have of maintaining the disease from spreading more into the population.

    Something has to be done.This is an easy problem to fix.The longer we wait to do something about it the more people will be infected and die.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/nitaylor/ nitaylor

    Mr. Rudy you are certainly entitled to your opinion, and I do respect that. There is no dispute that AIDS is currently incurable and deadly. However, you’re solution is neither effective nor well thought out.

    As AIDS is caused by the HIV virus, quarantining AIDS patients alone will not stop the spread of the disease. Now if you propose separating HIV+ persons as well, besides human rights issues and moral considerations, you will also have to consider the following: As there are literally millions of people infected with the virus

    1. Compliance – This is a huge issue. How can you guarantee that everyone will be tested without exception? Some wealthy or “high profile” individuals will not want that kind of exposure and will avoid testing (or worse) avoid the tattoo with bribes. What safeguards are there against this?

    2. Where – where exactly are we going to put this “leper colony” for AIDS patients and HIV+? I doubt Magic Johnson will move to some shanty town in a 3rd world country.
    a. HOW do we shelter them?
    b. Feed them?
    c. Medical care – certainly this will be needed in the camps. Where does that come from?

    3. Security – how do we MAKE them stay there and not integrate back into the population? US military? Create some AIDS military force?

    4. Non-infected family – We’re talking about splitting up families. Who will care for that “single mom’s” children? Or elderly parents? Or disabled spouse?

    5. Industry – There are likely high positioned leaders as well as lowly blue collar workers infected. How/who will we replace the jobs vacated by the lepers?

    6. The cost – So far we’re got: Medical testing, tattooing, housing, food, security, and medicine. Who’s going to pay for all of this? New taxes?

    7. Leadership complicity – Regarding your last paragraph, did it ever occur to you that AIDS is not as “out of control” as you think? Maybe “they” know exactly what’s happening. Considering that the most hard-hit areas are 3rd world countries and minorities/poor in Western countries is it possible that maybe there is no incentive for “global” efforts to slow the infection rates.

    The most we can do right now (in the west) is be responsible with our bodies and use good judgment with our relationships. Again, it is not my objective to tear you down, but to add some perspective to your argument

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/AzureBeauty/ AzureBeauty

    Rudy I have to say that your solution is inhumane and it is passing the buck.

    tattooing and or separating people who are infected in the method you are detailing sounds a lot like the holocaust. You are basically saying separate them and let them die alone with out help or family.

    If you do your research you will see that there are advancements being made in field of HIV/AIDS. But until a cure is found (WE HAVE YET TO CURE A VIRUS) Testing, Condoms, TRUTHFUL DISCLOSURE, and ABSTINENCE is the best way to Fight it!! How Would you like it if you were terminal and had to seperated from your family!! Do Some more research Please!!

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/mediumlarge-/ mediumlarge-

    sounds like a moving to me, or a book, at any rate you have to remember human interest does not work when people are housed under martial law, I think the solution is worst than the challenge, we want to help the well by exiling the ill, sounds scary and lacks knowledge we’ll are regret the choice when we find out who all has been infected, see I told you good movie right

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/2BEMAC/ 2BEMAC

    why do Lady like Chantale B. against Aids with condom’s ditribution ? I think we have first to educate people (young people)to take care of sexual abuses! to abstination an fidellity. When i see associations financiated by SERAC distribuatting condom it is like sending young people go to be sexual activ! Or engaging them to practise sexuality.
    I think it’s time to fight Aids in Africa by fighting poverty. Because one of the reason for Aids growing in Africa is poverty.We have to create good conditions, to employ this youth bitten by miserea.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/rodrique24/ rodrique24

    Hey to every one , after reading all of your comments I have come to realide that you people know very feel tihngs when it gets to HIV/AIDS in Africa,
    Here is Africa there are many other diseases that kills soo much more than AIDS , since the world is soo concern about AIDS that’s why our leaders are using this diseas to in rich hem selfs , looking at the death rates this days in Africa and talking about Cameroon Maliria kills too much more than AIDS,here in Cameroon we have high rate of street children abandont to them self and the old too azllow to no help which i think it should be one of the things our leaders should be talking about not only about HIV/AIDS,
    I will also like you people to know that the best way to fight this disease is to educate people not seperating them from others who are HIV/AIDS free, We are having a charity home which we created two years ago here in Douala -Cameroon , we have been able to bring together 180 children who don’t have perants because of AIDS and they are now doing very good throuh the help of God and our own little funds we get from our small jobs,and farm products.We have been asking our gov’t to help us give a feature to this children to no avial we have wrote several letters to no reply so we are coming over here toplead on behalf of this children that any body who can help this children with what ever he or she has like cloths you are no longer using , books ,food , medicine just to name are few or what ever thing you feel is no longer usefull to you , please send them over to us for it will be or great help to us here in our charoty house .
    We thanks you all for taking time to read our problems and worries, for more informtion about us you can get to us on this address below
    Mr AWAMBENG NDIFOR R
    P O BOX 2389 DOUALA-CAMEROON
    AIDS FREE CHILDREN CENTER(NGO)
    TEL +237 77 13 71 71
    TEL +237 33 06 65 42
    GOD blessing to you all long life Africans and the People of the world who feels for others.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Monte_Brown/ Monte_Brown

    There is a cure for HIV. The proteins that fuel the virus does not mutate. Pharmaceutical companies make more money keeping people sick than they do curing people. One day the cure will be uncovered.

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