Africa now has 12 million AIDS orphans and the number is expected to rise to 43 million by 2010.

AIDS is the biggest threat to Africa's development, according to the United Nations. The reason is the large number of people in key roles are dying, teachers; farmers; health-workers; civil servants and young professionals.

Latest numbers reflect:

• 29.4 million people with HIV
• 3.5 new HIV cases in 2002
• 2.4 million deaths from AIDS in 2002
• 2.8 million children under 15 with AIDS

It was in the early 1980s around the shores of Lake Victoria in the Masaka and Rakai districts of southern Uganda that the AIDS epidemic first began. The landscape has been scarred by AIDS. There are many empty fields - there is no one left to plant them.

In many places the land holds graves instead of crops. And the roadsides in the trading areas are lined with run-down wooden huts bearing the word 'Clinic.'

For almost 20 years Uganda has seen death on a massive scale, and many more will die in the years to come.

1.7 million Ugandan children have become orphans as a result of AIDS.

The toll that AIDS can take on children and young people orphaned by the epidemic is dramatic. Not only do they have to go through the stress of seeing their parents fall ill and die, but as family assets erode, the very prospect of their own survival is undermined.

In the early 1990s Uganda began an active education program for the prevention of AIDS and infection rates have dropped overall in the country. However, in the rural areas where electricity still is not available, communications inadequate and lack of educational programs, AIDS is still a major problem.

The problem is exacerbated by poverty, illiteracy, weak education, inadequate, and in many villages, total lack of public health systems, and the low social status of women.

Health care workers in some of our villages estimate that nearly 40% of newborn babies are HIV-positive. The percent of students in local secondary schools orphaned from AIDS is 65%.

United Children's Fund provides programs in the highest at risk areas in education and prevention of AIDS. Community health care workers using the local culture health beliefs and communication strategies that are culturally familiar to the local residents conduct these programs.

The programs include:

• Education programs for women to promote the prevention of HIV infection.
• Ensure that men are informed of their potential role and responsibility in transmitting HIV.
• Promote access to high quality voluntary testing and counseling for pregnant women.
• Reduce stigma and discrimination towards women who choose not to breastfeed in areas where avoidance of breastfeeding is interpreted as evidence of being HIV-positive.
• Ensure that care and support services for mothers living with HIV and their families are available and accessible over the long term.

Many of these programs and seminars are conducted by health care workers in village centers and other gathering places away from the clinics. Visiting the village clinic can result in a stigma and suspicion that the person is HIV-positive.

Testing is strongly encouraged for all men and women. Many of those tested refuse to learn the results from fear. In those instances they are encouraged to visit a health care facility on a regular basis where they are given guidelines on living and eating habits.

Knowledge and information are key to reducing AIDS infections. This includes using and distributing the knowledge and experience of everyone involved in improving the response to the epidemic.

To this end United Children's Fund is expanding its programs to reach as many as possible with life saving information.

Please help us in this life saving mission.