Stephen Lewis Essay

Stephen Lewis is an individual who has created change even though the odds were stacked against him. It is extremely important that we fight for the equality and wellbeing of all people, whether they are our neighbours next door or as Stephen Lewis showed us, in a whole other continent like Africa. Stephen Lewis has lived a very successful life and holds many achievements. Before he began his foundation in 2003, Lewis was seriously involved in politics. He was the leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party from 1970 to 1978 and Canada's Ambassador for the United Nations from 1984 to 1988. He has been a part of global organizations such as UNICEF, where he was Deputy Executive Director at the organization’s global headquarters in New York from 1995 to 1999. While holding such high reputable political positions,

he tirelessly spoke for and promoted the need for help those suffering from HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Through his efforts he became the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa from 2001 to 2006. Now between running his foundation to help others, Stephen Lewis is also a professor at Ryerson and McGill University. He has seminars where he speaks on the importance of getting AIDS medicine to Africa at a cheaper price, while raising funds to do so.

The Stephen Lewis Foundation was created in 2003 when Lewis was starting to gain global attention from speaking on the crisis of HIV/AIDS occurring in sub-Sahara Africa. HIV/AIDS is a detrimental problem in Africa, as it does not only affect one person but whole families. The passing of a family member from this deadly disease will then leave behind the children or other family whom depended fully on that one person. The Stephen Lewis Foundation has reacted on this crisis by providing care to orphaned children, including food, shelter, clothing, and education; all

necessities to live a prosperous life. Many times the children left behind by these young women affected by HIV/AIDS are given into the care of their grandmothers, and the Stephen Lewis foundation is supporting this care by the Grandmothers Campaign. Within this campaign, the African grandmothers who support usually as many as ten to fifteen orphaned children per household are now supported with food, educational and medical supplies as well as other necessary household items they may not be able to afford on their own. Sub-Sahara Africa struggles with the highest amount of HIV/AIDS cases in the world. “In 2013, an estimated 24.7 million people were living with HIV, accounting for 71% of the global total. In the same year, there were an estimated 1.5 million new HIV infections and 1.1 million AIDS-related deaths.” UNAIDS (2014) 'The Gap Report 2014. There are many barriers currently limiting the treatment resources in order to fight against this epidemic. An example of a barrier is the cost of treatment. The Stephen Lewis Foundation has put emphasis on the fact that drug companies are providing these countries with the drugs needed to save lives against HIV/AIDS, however they are not providing them at an affordable price that the majority of the population can afford.

The outcome of the situation of the HIV/AIDS pandemic has been very brutal to the people of Africa. The Stephen Lewis foundation is fighting a strong disease and this crisis is too big to take on for one person alone. Therefore, it is important that we all work to fight together. Supporting this cause does not necessarily mean we have to go to Africa and help the grandmothers foster all the orphaned children, however we can inform fellow people of this crisis and of the suffering going on. Being aware of a problem is the first step to solving it. It is up to us as a global community to care for the global prosperity and well-being of others, whether they are our neighbours next door or in another continent.