Zambia, hit hard by AIDS crisis, needs U.S. help, says priest

Published: 2003-11-12

ST. LOUIS (CNS) -- Hordes of young children can be seen today begging for food on the streets of cities in Zambia, but that wasn't the case five years ago, according to Conventual Franciscan Father Wayne Hellmann. The priest, a professor in the theological studies department at Jesuit-run St. Louis University, visited the African nation five years ago to teach. He did so again this summer and saw a significant difference in the country as a result of the ravages of AIDS. In 1998, Zambian children without parents were taken care of by the extended family, the priest said. Now, because of AIDS, the adult population has been decimated. Based on 2001 estimates, some 1.2 million people in a country of 10.3 million are living with HIV/AIDS. Life expectancy in Zambia is about 35.3 years. Less than 10 years ago, the life expectancy was 58. Compounding the situation is the dire poverty faced by the people. According to the latest available figures, 86 percent of them live below the poverty line. In Father Hellmann's eyes, poverty is the root cause of the problems now overwhelming Zambia and all of sub-Sahara Africa, and he said people in United States have a moral responsibility to try to alleviate this suffering.

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