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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Integrated Regional Information Networks - September 12, 2000
They also called for a massive increase in resources to address public health and food security issues in Africa and pledged, in a declaration titled the Ouagadougou Commitment, to work to improve the recruitment, training and motivation of volunteers in their countries. The Ouagadougou Commitment capped The Fifth Pan-African Conference of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, held in the Burkinabe capital on 21-25 September.
The African Red Cross/Red Crescent societies identified HIV/AIDS as their main health priority. Others include malaria, tuberculosis and diarrhea diseases. "The Ouagadougou meeting has allowed us to reexamine our approach to combating the AIDS pandemic," said conference chair Bana Ouadaongo, president of the Burkina Faso Red Cross. A multidisciplinary strategy has been adopted, she added, "which integrates information, prevention, treatment and care, as well as wider partnerships to help us provide better care to those suffering from AIDS and to AIDS orphans, while protecting their dignity as human beings".
Some 24 million people are estimated to be HIV-positive in Africa, with 10,000 people becoming infected every day, the Red Cross noted.
The president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Astrid Heiberg, said the IFRC would soon launch an international appeal to finance the new initiatives.
"Our volunteers can enable people to change their behavior, through informing, educating and communicating. Our volunteers can provide basic care and compassion. And it is because of this compassion that we obtain respect, are listened to and can enable people to change," she said.
There are nearly two million African Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers, according to the IFRC. They are active in first aid activities, HIV/AIDS peer education, mobilization of the population for vaccination campaigns and training family members to care for people living with AIDS.
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