World AIDS Day - a personal impact

As my blog is supposed to be at least somewhat development-focused, World AIDS Day of course deserves a mention here. Dealing with HIV infection and trying to limit its spread (especially in developing countries) is becoming increasingly important in development initiatives, and the true societal and personal cost of the disease is becoming increasingly apparent, and frightening. And despite the wide-ranging consequences of the disease, I think it is the very personal and close-to-home aspect of it that needs to be stressed in the fight against it. Dehumanizing the ravages of the disease by experiencing it only through news reports concerning a distant continent and people of an alien culture makes it very difficult to convince the public and the leaders of developing nations that this is an urgent threat that needs to be addressed before it reaches epidemic proportions (which some believe it already has.) The threat sometimes simply doesn't feel 'real' enough.

I watched a South African movie today at an event sponsored by the IFC about the hardships facing one African woman who is diagnosed with the virus - Yesterday. The film was touching in a number of ways, but what struck me most was what happened afterwards - the woman in charge of the showing was on the verge of tears when she thanked us for coming. I felt heartless when I witnessed her emotional response to the film, but it at least emphasized for me that what appeared to be happening in a fictional story set in a distant locale had very real-world parallels with the challenges posed by AIDS today. It is this understanding, and the accompanying emotional involvement, that will spur people into action against the spread of HIV.