African women: a long battle for equality

For Ms. Sibongile Msimela, the UNAIDS gender adviser for East and Southern Africa, the solution to soaring HIV infection rates among women is the full empowerment of women. "None of it is rocket science," she told Africa Renewal from her Johannesburg office. "If the international community had done the things we know we need to do around women's empowerment issues, the impact of HIV and AIDS wouldn't be as severe as it is today."

As welcome as the current focus on women is, much of the debate seems to imply that "African women are doing nothing," she continued. "It's important to keep in mind that African women themselves are very actively pushing for change. The notion that people will come from outside to save African women is wrong. The battle for women's rights has been fought by African women for a long time now."

Women are organized to work for their rights in much of Africa, she noted. They are particularly strong in places like South Africa and Zimbabwe, where they participated in the struggle against white minority rule. "That history of organizing," she said, "has really helped women keep their communities together through some of the darkest times. It's not all gloom and doom."

Prevention, Wellness, Education and Support

In 2003, the National Urban League began a new, stronger focus on health issues, prevention and health education. In particular, the movement is addressing some of the most pressing health-care concerns facing African-Americans today.

The National Urban League's State of Black America 2004 reports that Blacks are impacted by higher rates of obesity, substance abuse, HIV/AIDS and diabetes. Specifically:

Blacks experience diabetes at twice the rate of whites

Blacks are 10 times more likely to be HIV positive than whites

Blacks are likely to be more obese than their white counterparts

Blacks have an average life expectancy of 72 years versus 78 years for whites

Blacks are less likely to have health insurance and likewise receive lower health care benefits throughout their lifetime

Not only is the African American community more susceptible to and less likely to recover from certain illnesses than other groups, there is an alarming lack of affordable healthcare available to help them do so.

To overcome these hurdles, National Urban League has been working with such organizations as The Center for Disease Control, the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health, and the American Legacy Foundation, among others, to address such health crises as diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's and depression. Two main initiatives are:

The Lift Every Voice Diabetes Education Program - targeting the prevention and treatment of diabetes

The National African-American Wellness Initiative - promoting proper nutrition, physical fitness, healthcare and prevention of disease through a new website launched in 2004

As a result, over the last year National Urban League provided diabetes testing and health-care education to over 130,000 people, and has raised awareness about everything from obesity prevention and smoking-cessation to obtaining health care/Medicare benefits.

Taking the term "early prevention" to heart, the League is currently counseling schools on how to provide healthful activities for their students.