Today is World AIDS Day.
More than 20 years, and 20 million deaths, since the onset of the AIDS pandemic, less than 5 percent of those suffering from the disease are receiving treatment and no vaccine or cure is in sight. Yet, the disease continues to spread steadily: in 2003, more than 5 million people were infected with HIV/AIDS.
AIDS has caused untold misery around the world and continues to do so. There are nine African countries where the average life expectency has dropped below 40 years, substantially as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Nearly everybody I know has had someone close to them die of AIDS or had their life irrevokably changed by HIV.
It's an enormous issue and it's easy to feel crushed under the sheer, massive scale of the problem. But even making a small contribution to an organization that's fighting AIDS will make a real and positive impact in somebody's life.
Donate globally:
Doctors Without Borders
Donate locally:
AIDS Services of Dallas
AIDS Committee of Toronto