World AIDS Day

December 1st was World AIDS Day. I missed posting about it that day, but it's never too late.

Many of you, dear readers, know that I am passionate about HIV/AIDS and its impact on children (as orphans and as carriers of the virus). A woman named Erin, whose blog I read has 11 children (wow! She's a really awesome mom too!), two of whom are HIV+, adopted from Ethiopia. She has always been quite open about their status to those of us in the adoption blog world, knowing that with education and less ignorance, there will be less shame and stigma around the disease. I am in awe of her vulnerability and openness. I hope that if we adopt an HIV+ child, we will be so bold as to be open and educate our families, communities and even perfect strangers about the truths about HIV and AIDS. Unfortunately, life isn't always rosy, especially for those living with HIV/AIDS abroad or in the US. They are often ostracized, shamed and marginalized. It is a huge risk to be open about your HIV status, even in 2008. That crushes me.

Erin wrote a great post about HIV and her family on World AIDS Day, so I thought I'd link you up to it if you're interested in reading a very candid and educational post about living with the disease and being a mom to children living with HIV.

Mark and I had the opportunity to visit an amazing organization in Ethiopia while were picking up Ashen. AHOPE for Children is an organization that cares for orphaned children, ages 0-15+, living with HIV. Since they were able to obtain anti-retroviral drugs for all the children a few years ago, the mortality rate has nearly flatlined and children are now living with hope for their futures. AHOPE is also working to have the children find their forever families through adoption as well.