We often go through life taking for granted the simple things in life such as having friends, family, and our health. When I was about 6 I found out that a very close friend of the family had contract the HIV/AIDS virus. It was weird hearing the news because my grandmother had form an organization in memory of a close friend, which promoted HIV/AIDS awareness, clinics, and many other things. I understood what caused the virus, the dangers of passing it on to others, and the likely hood that the virus would eventually be the cause of her death. The thing that weighed down my heart the most was the uncertainly of her daughter faint because she was one of few childhood friends that I had. I can remember sitting down with my mother to talk about the situation and she explained to me that Tonya had contracted the virus through her boyfriend which was a drug user (needle exchange) When I heard this news I valued to never intake drugs and make it my responsibility to educate those around me about the risk factors and consequence of using drugs. Within the 1st year the virus took out Keisha’s dad leaving her mother and grandmother to look after her. I knew Ms. Tonya would not be around for ever so I wanted something to remember her by so I wished and prayed for a gap like hers. About 2 months later I had a small gap! The following month Ms. Tonya passed. Keisha had to go stay with her grandma, resulting in us losing contact. I often wondered the effects of her coming up without her mother and father, my wondering ended about four years ago when my grandmother ran into her grandmother. She informed my grandmother that Keisha had been in and out of the juvenile system shortly after her mother’s death.
I chose to talk about poverty because it is something that effects people all over the world. The children that I work with live in poverty, people I grow up with lived in poverty, and I too lived in poverty as a child. I chose to look at the poverty in Africa, one of the poorest countries. What is being done to fight poverty in Africa? We are taking action here in the US by hosting various events to raise money to help fight poverty such as the annual walk with the Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A The walk takes place in cities throughout the US. The National Planning Commission in South Africa has come up with a national development plan that will end poverty in South Africa by 2030. The plan plans to improve the government’s existing plan and work for to reduce poverty by improving the unemployment rate.
References:
David Breen. (29 October). BRIEF: Annual walk at Lake Eola takes on poverty. McClatchy - Tribune Business News, Retrieved November 25, 2011, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 2497682601).
The National Development Plan Will End Poverty in South Africa By 2030 - Really? [opinion]. (2011, November 15). AllAfrica.com (French Ed.), Retrieved November 21, 2011, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 2511723921).
