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Topic: Ugandan condom shortage blamed on US
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Granola Girl
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 8078
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posted 30 August 2005 10:04 PM
BBC Link here. quote: The UN's special envoy on fighting Aids in Africa has accused the United States of endangering the gains Uganda has made in containing the disease.Stephen Lewis told the BBC that Uganda - under pressure from Washington - was putting greater emphasis on abstinence to tackle the disease than condoms. His remarks follow a report by US health campaigners saying the country was facing a condom shortage. Mr Lewis said: "Over the last eight to 10 months, there's been a very significant decline in the use of condoms, significantly orchestrated by the policies of government." "At the moment, the government of Uganda appears to be under the influence of the American policy through the presidential initiative of emphasising abstinence far and away over condoms," he said. He suggested US President George Bush, who launched his multi-billion dollar campaign to tackle Aids in Africa two years ago, was acting under the influence of the religious right in US.
From: East Van | Registered: Jan 2005
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skdadl
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 478
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posted 01 September 2005 11:56 AM
quote: Originally posted by scooter: What? You can only buy condoms from the USA?
Logic, scooter, logic: We're talking about UN funding here, scooter, funding, for many things, including condoms. The trouble is, if many UN programs include condom programs, the U.S. threatens to withdraw its part of the funding. It may also threaten individual governments, as here, with the withdrawal of other kinds of funding. And it can get worse.
From: gone | Registered: May 2001
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caoimhin
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 4768
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posted 01 September 2005 01:53 PM
I'm just not convinced, having read this thread, that you are at all serious about AIDs or Ugandans. ".....Health Minister Jim Muhwezi dismissed talk of condom shortage."There seems to be a coordinated smear campaign by those who do not want to use any other alternative simultaneously with condoms against Aids," he said.Muhwezi said he was co-ordinating Uganda's HIV prevention strategy with the U.S. government, but insisted that condoms remain an important part of the strategy.He said the recent discovery of problems with the quality of condoms imported into Uganda had led to a disruption in supply, but that the problem was sorted out. Mr Jodi Jacobson, the executive director of the Center for Health and Gender Equity, said all evidence collected in Uganda by her group had found that Ugandans had seen a 300 per cent increase in condom prices and free condoms could not be found at the normal distribution points." and "The State Minister for Health, Capt. Mike Mukula, denied claims that a new emphasis on promoting abstinence had contributed to the condom shortage."That is not true at all; our policy is to maintain the ABC (Abstinence, Be Faithful and Abstinence) policy which actually helped Uganda to reduce the Aids prevalence rates from over 20 percent to 6 per cent," Muhwezi said by telephone."The three strategies have always carried the same weight even when it came to our multi-pronged approach under the Private, Public Partnership."Mukula said the government is "aware that there are people who will have to use condoms like prostitutes, discontented couples and sexually active teenagers." you are too eager to dismiss the Ugandans for 'unimpeachable' Lewis, his arrogance dutifully on display...... ".....Lewis and Jacobson also said that a campaign to discredit condoms and promote abstinence by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's wife was providing misinformation about HIV that could cause an increase in the HIV rate." (The Monitor, Kampala, allafrica.com) Can you believe that - "misinformation". Is it arrogance or stupidity to suggest a sexually transmitted disease can't be fought by not having sex? Or does Mr. Lewis believe the Ugandans haven't a clue about their own country and their own people? Why are you more concerned with what the US may or may not do with its own money than with the steps Ugandans are making towards fighting the disease? I think a simple math exercise would easily provide proof that a multi-pronged approach, as promoted by both Uganda and the US,is very possible and will have more or a positive impact on disease prevention than "just givem the damn condoms, will ya.." Say 10million men will have sex 5 times a week. Thats 260 times a year. Thats 2.6 billion condoms for just Uganda. At, say, a buck per condom. $2.6billion. WWOW. Add up all the countries requiring aid and you will see how quickly that aid dries up.
From: Windsor | Registered: Dec 2003
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radiorahim
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 2777
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posted 02 September 2005 02:28 AM
quote: I'm sure we've heard that the U.S. has made funding of UN programs contingent on abstinence-theory, has in fact withdrawn funds from programs elsewhere in Africa, and besides, Lewis is an unimpeachable witness -- if he says there is pressure behind the scenes, I believe him
The U.S. government has incredible power over the policies of impoverished third world governments. Anyone who thinks the Ugandan government has made this decision independently is dreaming in technicolour. Stephen Lewis has fried himself to a crisp over the HIV AIDS crisis in Africa. You can hear the absolute frustration in his voice these days. A whole generation of Africans is dying and it doesn't need to happen. The Dubya administration and its Christian Right backers are just plain evil.
From: a Micro$oft-free computer | Registered: Jun 2002
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