Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Cresent Societies - 23 September 2000
Looking at the children who are obediently sitting on the floor of the small three-room house, she raises both hands in despair. "What will happen to the children if I die?" she asks. "Who will look after them? We don't have enough food and I have no money to pay for school fees. Without an education, they have no future."
In order to pay for rent, Grace's three surviving sons sell vegetables from their garden at the local market. This is her only source of revenue. Grace and her extended family manage to survive only because the Zimbabwe Red Cross regularly brings a basket of food (oil, beans and sugar) as well as basic hygiene supplies.
The Red Cross home care volunteers also help her care for her dying daughter and monitor the children's health. "If it were not for the Red Cross, I don't know what I would do", Grace says. The Zimbabwe Red Cross' home care programme is an essential component of the National Society's fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country. It is recognized nationally as essential.
Changing the future What can the Red Cross and Red Crescent do in Africa in order to make a real difference in the health and lives of millions of people who are either living with AIDS, have inadequate access to health care facilities, or are malnourished?
That question is at the heart of discussions taking place this week at the Pan African Conference, in Ouagadougou, attended by representatives from all 53 African National Societies.
The President of the Cap Verde Red Cross, Dario Dantas Dos Reis, stressed the need to take energetic measures to reverse the grim predictions that AIDS will decimate entire generations of Africans, leaving millions of orphans struggling to survive in the wake of the deadly pandemic.
In his keynote address on public health, he said the great strength of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement was its two million volunteers across Africa. Their work in first aid, prevention and health education - done in their own communities - makes them extremely effective in helping people change their behaviour.
Adam Kimbisa, President of the Tanzania Red Cross, addressed the participants on the subject of food security, the second theme of the conference.
The right to food is the right to life, he said. Food must be available in sufficient quantities, people must have access to it and must learn to consume a balanced diet. One third of the population of Sub-Saharan African suffers from chronic malnutrition, he said, stressing the gravity of the problem.
Food insecurity is only one piece in the poverty jigsaw, and must be tackled along with other problems, such as health, in the context of new partnerships, he added. There must be a collective commitment to eliminating poverty, he stressed, from all Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies.
The 53 African Societies gathered in Ouagadougou will launch a 10-year action plan on Sunday, defining their priorities and concrete projects to improve the health of Africans and their access to food.
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