Representatives from the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International are participating in the 14th International AIDS Conference currently underway in Barcelona, Spain.
Representatives from the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International are participating in the 14th International AIDS Conference currently underway in Barcelona, Spain. The conference, which runs July 7 to 12, brings together 14,000 representatives from more than 100 countries.
Ron Mataya, M.D., director of health for ADRA International, is participating in sessions that will focus on advances in treatment. Debbie Herold, technical advisor for reproductive health at ADRA International, is attending workshops on nutritional therapy and education strategies that reach children and teens.
“The impact of HIV/AIDS is larger than predicted a decade ago,” says Mataya. “During 2001 alone, 14,000 people every day became infected with HIV. We’re attending this conference to learn about the most recent advances in treatment so we can incorporate this information into ADRA’s HIV/AIDS prevention projects around the world.”
ADRA has promoted HIV/AIDS prevention in developing nations since the late 1980s. Its education programs include lifesaving strategies presented through drama and music, school notebooks imprinted with AIDS-prevention messages, organization of AIDS education clubs at schools, and radio programs.
The disease has killed more than 22 million people and orphaned 13 million children worldwide. Nearly 40 million people are infected with the HIV virus or are coping with AIDS. Long-range studies predict that 68 million people will die from AIDS in the next 20 years unless there is improvement in prevention and treatment strategies.
