International Save the Children Alliance
Carlos in Angola
Journalist Carlos Mezenga reports from Angola, November 2007
Week 6: "A child is like a flower" TB and HIV/AIDS
Teenager Carlos Mezenga spends his spare time informing other children about their rights. In this space, you can follow Carlos's blog, writing about life in Angola.
Hiya! I am back again, the same Carlos Mezenga.
The issue of today is: tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
A child is like a flower growing in a garden. It needs water every day not to dry out.
In my country, more precisely in Uíge province, many children get diseases that put their life at risk. Indeed some of them die. Tuberculosis and other diseases lead to a high mortality rate in Uíge. The causes of illness are smoking and pollution from the war, say the doctors in Uíge. We really hope you can help us, and that you will carry out even more programmes in Angola through Save the Children, for instance in health, nutrition and so forth.
Africa is the place in the world with the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS, and the worst sufferers are children aged 8-18. Sexual abuse violates children's rights, and creates many cases of HIV infection and premature pregnancy. In every group of teenagers, one or two are with child.
Many are born with the HIV virus, because their parents were infected. But every time a child is born without being infected, it makes us happy. We hope that you will help this country and the children carrying the HIV virus and many other diseases, just as you are doing now, without discriminating against us.
As always, I am back on Tuesday, bye-bye.
Carlos A. Mezenga, child journalist, from Uíge Radio.
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"Back to school" is the children of Angola's first wish for their future. "A roof to sleep under" is the second wish. To attend school they need to be registered. To be registered they need a home. Pencils and books cost money. It may not be much to you, but it is an enormous amount to the street children of Uíge.
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