Zambia's 'Lazarus' Effect

Africa: It conjures images of vast open grasslands, teeming with wildlife; untamed nature preserves, home to big game. But behind the stunning scenery lies a stark reality. Poverty-ridden communities exist where children walk for hours in search of clean water. Villages lack basic sanitation, and HIV/AIDS ravages homes and families. Each year in sub Saharan Africa 2 million people die of AIDS-related diseases. In Zambia, one of the continent's poorest nations, one million people of the 10 million population - or one in 10 - are living with HIV. The Lazarus Effect On the outskirts of Zambia's capital Lusaka, we met Esnart, a 47-year-old AIDS survivor. Diagnosed three years ago, Esnart was discovered by World Vision workers, on her death bed, covered with sores. But because of U.S. -funded medical aid, Esnart is alive today, an example of what some are calling "The Lazarus Effect." "It's like coming back from the dead because if you saw me then you would have said I wouldn't live," Esnart said. Today, with donated supplies of anti-retroviral drugs, an AIDS diagnosis is no longer a death sentence in Africa. "I have changed because of the medicines I've been taking," Esnart said. "I'm healed." While AIDS is wiping out a generation of young adults, another epidemic, malaria, is the largest killer of the young, claiming a life every 30 seconds, or 3000 a day. That's the same number of Americans killed on Sept. 11 -- every day. One father we met said, "This is the only daughter I have." He said malaria killed his first-born child and now his daughter Abigail shows symptoms of the disease. But now, Abigail receives anti-malarial drugs that will restore her health. "The child will be just okay because she's improving," Abigail's dad said. "Now I'm very happy. I feel very happy." Millions of African families now receive lifesaving medical treatment through President Bush's $1.2 billion malaria initiative, and a $15-billion emergency AIDS program. "We believe to whom much has been given, much is required," Bush said. "Much has been given to the United States of America." The initiatives fund efforts such as Rapids, a community HIV/AIDS program run by a consortium of faith-based and humanitarian organizations. Groups like World Vision and Malaria No More run prevention and treatment programs. "They spray homes with insecticides to kill malaria-carrying mosquitos," first lady Laura Bush said. They distribute bed nets to the local caregivers in Zambia. Twenty-thousand volunteers from churches and civic groups take the nets and medical supplies, often walking hours on dusty roads to reach the chronically ill. "These are community members they know who's sick in the communIty," Bruce Wilkinson of World Vision said. "They find them and they bring them into the clinics to get them treated and tested for HIV/AIDS and get them on the anti-retroviral drugs that will save their lives." Wilkinson welcomed the first lady to Zambia to highlight Rapids' work with caregivers. Rapids' goal now is giving every volunteer a bicycle to help them in their mission. Worldwide Support The needs are great and the scars run deep, with millions of African children orphaned to the plagues of AIDS and malaria. "The saddest part is you end up having children caring for households," Wilkinson said. "You'll have a 17-year-old girl or boy with siblings and they're the adult. They're the ones that are supposed to figure out life at the household." But slowly lives are being changed. The plight of the suffering is drawing worldwide support, even from American Idol finalist Melinda Doolittle who joined Malaria No More to combat the disease America eradicated more than a half-century ago. Doolittle said, "Something like a bed net or malaria pills, something as simple as that can save so many lives.so hopefully we get on board and really become a part of it."