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During the '90s, while AIDS was devastating so much of east and south Africa, Nigeria was relatively spared. In the last two years, though, we have seen a striking increase in the number of cases. A couple of years ago we might have seen a child with HIV every month or so. Now it seems we are encountering one or two new ones every week. Though this seems like a lot to us, we realize that a year from now they will probably be many more. According to the World Health Organization, about a thousand African children each day become infected with HIV. It's expected that in the severely affected countries the effects of HIV will wipe out decades of hard-won gains in child survival. It is the personal side of HIV that is hardest for us though. It's having to explain once again to another young mother and father that their baby has AIDS. It is hard enough informing parents about any fatal or serious illness in their child. With AIDS of course, there's a whole other set of tragic issues. Finding HIV in the baby nearly always means that the mother is infected, too, usually something she had never suspected. Then there is the issue of her husband. Is he infected? Is he the source of her infection? And what of the other children? And the unborn baby? It is truly a family tragedy. Starting in 2004 we have been developing a program to care particularly for children with HIV or whose mothers are infected. On a small scale, we are using anti-retroviral drugs to prolong their lives. As of August 2005, we have about 40 children in the program, with 10 receiving anti-retroviral drugs. These drugs are quite costly even when purchased in their generic forms, and we're relying on the goodness of caring individuals to help us buy them. We are hoping to receive support eventually from the USA or international organizations, but that has not happened yet. Please pray for us and the Nigerian churches as we look for ways to help stem the tide of infection and to help those who are already infected. Often the crisis brings people to a new openness to consider the gospel. See also Candle in the Breeze, a poem by Saralynn
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