Comment: Aid as a Fad (by Katherine Grechuta)

At a recent graduation ceremony, Gerald Helleiner, the recipient of an honorary doctorate, commented on the recent tsunami disaster in his acceptance speech. He stated that although tragic, the tsunami was the product of nature, almost entirely beyond the control of humankind. Poverty, starvation and disease, however, are not and their pervasive, sustained existence in today’s world is the true atrocity. As the AIDS epidemic continues to ravage continents, it elicits little response from the rest of the world. The largest epidemic of our time, and the reaction seems to be minimal, for the most part comparable to out of sight and out of mind. Certainly more devastating than any tsunami, in 2003, three million people became newly infected with HIV and 2.2 million died in Sub-Saharan Africa alone. AIDS, unlike the tsunami, is an everyday occurrence, claiming more lives and leaving more children orphaned in a week than the tsunami did in its entire run.

Yet, rather than turning a blind eye, many of the world’s citizens and governments suddenly felt compelled to donate their time, efforts and money to deal with the victims of the tsunami. The outpouring of support was like none we have witnessed before. Of course, the media played a huge role, transmitting images into our living rooms and making it hard to turn away. International development organizations suddenly found money in their budgets and governments forgave debts owed by countries devastated by the tsunami. Mercy Otim, a Kenyan HIV/AIDS advocate and fundraiser who continually sees her requests for funding denied due to “no money”, saw the same organizations pour millions into tsunami relief proving that perhaps there was “some money” all along.

Unlike images of tsunami, images of AIDS victims fail to materialize in our living rooms. Global and long-term epidemics often do not. They are no longer sensational but require long-term dedication and a sustained global effort in order to be eradicated. Aid and charity are fads, the latest and most shocking will get all of the world’s attention while others will quickly fade into the background often without resurfacing. The media of course, has a large helping hand. It informs the world’s people and urges then to act on causes it sees fit, convenient, and of course, those that will get the highest ratings. Media, after all, is synonymous with sensationalism.

This is not a condemnation of the way the world responded to the tsunami disaster. I believe it offered a glimpse of hope, and the message was clear; citizens and governments can be willed to act. For activists everywhere, whether they are poverty, hunger or AIDS activists, among others, it presented a bittersweet irony. Either their causes are deemed less important or they must find a better way to communicate their message. At the end of the day, however, the excuses they have been hearing for the lack interest and lack of money available are no longer deemed true. It is time for the world to come together again, this time not because the media wills them but because they are willed by their humanity. A recent headline stated that aids could kill 80 million people by 2025, I have a hard time imaging a cause with a greater sense of urgency than that.

Sources

Daily HIV/AIDS Report. "Global Challenges: AIDS Advocated Fearful Tsunami Relief Aid Will Draw Funding Away From AIDS- Related Efforts, Globe and Mail Reports." Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 11 Jan. 2005. 5 Mar. 2005 <http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=27567>.

UNAIDS. "2004 Report on the global AIDS epidemic." Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. Jul 2004. 5 Mar. 2005 <http://www.unaids.org/bangkok2004/GAR2004_html/GAR2004_00_en.htm>.

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