Text 4911, 197 rader
Skriven 2007-06-28 23:31:00 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0706285) for Thu, 2007 Jun 28
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Mrs. Bush's Remarks at the Mututa Memorial Center
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For Immediate Release Office of the First Lady June 28, 2007

Mrs. Bush's Remarks at the Mututa Memorial Center Mututa Memorial Center
Lusaka, Zambia



1:17 P.M. (Local)

MRS. BUSH: Thank you very much, Bruce. Thank you for your very kind
introduction, for showing us all the great things that you've shown us
today.

I want to recognize Mrs. Maureen Mwanamasa. Thank you very much. Thank you
for your hospitality to your beautiful country. Also, Angela Cifire, the
Deputy Minister of Sports, thank you very much for joining us today.
Elisabeth Mataka, who is the Special Envoy from the United Nations
Secretary General for HIV/AIDS in Africa. Also, you might be interested to
you know, she's the vice chair of the Global Fund board of directors.

Jill Rademacher -- is Jill here? Did Jill come? I don't see her here. So we
won't recognize her. (Laughter.) Martha Chilufya, thank you very, very
much. Thank you for your hospitality while we're here, and thank you for
your good work, your good and compassionate work.

Ambassador Mark Dybul, who is the U.S. Global AIDS coordinator, is with us.
Let's see, where is he? There he is, right here on the front row. And
Admiral Tim Ziemer, U.S. malaria coordinator, thank you very much, both of
you, for joining me here in Zambia.

Patients, caregivers and distinguished guests, thank you very much for the
warm welcome to Zambia. Zambia is a strong partner with the United States.
Together, our countries are working to advance goals shared by people
everywhere: improved opportunities for families, economic empowerment, and
most of all, good health.

Our countries have formed partnerships to address malaria, which is a
treatable and preventable disease that claims more than a million lives
every year. Zambia has an ambitious national malaria control program, and
through effective new medicines, and the increased use of mosquito sprays
and bed nets, Zambia is making great strides against this epidemic.

These efforts are supported by the U.S. government through the President's
Malaria Initiative. This five-year program has one goal: eliminating
malaria in Africa. Working with Zambia's national malaria-control program,
the President's Malaria Initiative will help conduct indoor residual
spraying, provide life-saving bed nets and medicines, and treat pregnant
women who are especially vulnerable to this disease.

Here at Mututa, patients benefit from insecticide-treated bed nets supplied
through the Zambia Partnership. It's an unprecedented partnership between
governments, businesses, and religious groups to reduce the suffering
caused by malaria. The U.S. government supports this initiative through the
President's Malaria Initiative and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief. Thirteen members of the Global Business Council have contributed
over a million and a half dollars to the project. They're joined by World
Vision's RAPIDS Consortium, which unites several faith institutions,
including Catholic Relief Services, the Salvation Army, Expanded Church
Response, CARE, and Africare.

Through the Zambian Partnership, 500,000 mosquito nets will be distributed
to the country's most vulnerable households before the next malaria season
in November. They'll reach about a million young children, pregnant
mothers, and people infected with HIV/AIDS.

Through partnerships between Zambia and the United States, we're addressing
one of the greatest humanitarian crises of all times: the challenge of
HIV/AIDS. Through the President's Emergency Plan, our country has provided
hundreds of millions of dollars to combat HIV/AIDS in Zambia. In
partnership with the Zambia National HIV/AIDS Strategic Framework, these
resources support programs that prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission,
and they've supplied nearly 100,000 people with antiretroviral treatment.

Working with our government's Africa Education Initiative, PEPFAR has also
provided scholarships to HIV-positive orphans and vulnerable children,
helping them to stay in school and teach other children how to avoid HIV.
And later today, I'll see the benefits of PEPFAR in Zambia at the Flame
Community Center, where I'll meet with women participating in the WORTH
program. WORTH extends micro-credit to Zambian women, empowering them to
provide for themselves and their families.

Because of these partnerships, there's now great optimism to the challenge
of HIV/AIDS. And one of the greatest sources of hope is the compassion of
people of faith. In the United States and around the world, I've seen how
houses of worship inspire volunteers with their messages of charity and
hope. Millions of people have heard these messages, and they're putting
their faith into practice across the continent of Africa. They've
recognized that the private sector must play a role in these historic
efforts.

And they know that religious institutions bring a personal, healing touch
to the fight against AIDS. Their compassion is right on display here in
Zambia. Later today, I'll visit Chreso Ministries, where volunteers from
the Gospel Outreach Fellowship distribute antiretroviral treatments
provided through PEPFAR.

And I've just come from the Regiment School, where I helped open the first
PEPFAR-funded PlayPump. PlayPumps are children's merry-go-rounds attached
to a water pump and a storage tank. When children play on the
merry-go-round and the wheel turns, PlayPumps -- clean drinking water is
produced. PlayPumps are fueled by the great limitless source of energy:
children at play. And they're a great example of how governments,
foundations, businesses, and religious groups have joined to address the
lack of clean water across Africa, which is a major obstacle to defeating
malaria and AIDS.

Here at Mututa, parents and caregivers know very well the healing power of
faith. Dedicated caregivers fan out into the local communities, on bicycle
and foot, to provide home-based care for chronically ill AIDS patients.
Volunteers nurture orphans and vulnerable children. The center offers
support groups for women victims of violence, and promotes HIV-prevention
campaigns for young people, so Zambia's next generation can stay HIV free.
With help from PEPFAR and RAPIDS, Mututa is helping more than 150 people
live positively with HIV.

One of these people is Esnart Banda. Three years ago, Esnart didn't know
she had HIV -- but she knew she was sick. Esnart suffered recurring bouts
of tuberculosis, and her body was covered with sores. Her husband abandoned
her, taking all of their household items with him. She struggled to care
for herself, but she was too sick and weak. For two weeks she lay
bed-ridden, alone and afraid. "Eventually," Ensart said, "I just accepted
that I was going to die."

That's when Esnart met Leontina, a World Vision caregiver from Mututa.
Leontina was in Esnart's neighborhood, going door to door, asking whether
anyone needed medical attention. By chance, she happened upon Esnart.
Leontina and her fellow caregivers bathed Esnart and tenderly cleaned her
sores. They gave her blankets and a jacket. They encouraged her to get
tested for HIV. And when she learned she was positive, they provided her
with antiretroviral treatment. Soon after she went on the medicines, Esnart
found the energy she hadn't felt for ages.

With money she received from Mututa, she started a business. Every night
she cooks samoosas, chapat, and gamola -- Asian sweets that are very
popular in her community. In the morning, she's a regular on the road to
the nearby market, selling her treats. "Before, I didn't have the
strength," she explains. "But now I can do whatever I need to." Her
transformation, she says, "was a miracle."

Today, Esnart belongs to a support group that encourages other people in
her community to get tested for HIV. Stigma remains a silent but powerful
opponent in the fight against HIV/AIDS. But these women are living proof
that a diagnosis is not a death sentence. Esnart and Leontina use a phrase
heard increasingly throughout Africa: They speak of a "Lazarus effect,"
where people who once waited quietly for death celebrate a second chance at
life.

These daily miracles are made possible by the partnerships that we talked
about, and the compassion of people like you, and the determination of
citizens throughout Zambia.

One of these determined citizens, as you've just heard, is your first lady,
Mrs. Mwanawasa. (Applause.) In 2002, nearly 40 first ladies founded the
Organization of African First Ladies Against AIDS to raise awareness of an
issue that's too often shrouded in denial. In 2005, the first ladies
launched the "Treat Every Child as Your Own" initiative, which educates
adults around the world about their responsibility to protect all children
from HIV/AIDS. Mrs. Mwanawasa is the chair of this group, and she's an
excellent example for leaders in every nation.

In recognition of her leadership today, I'm pleased to announce that UNAIDS
and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief are providing $300,000
to support the important work of the Organization of African First Ladies
Against AIDS. (Applause.) This new partnership was made possible by another
accomplished Zambian woman, Elisabeth Mataka, the U.N. Special Envoy for
AIDS in Africa, and vice chair of the Global Fund. (Applause.) I'd like to
thank Elisabeth and Mrs. Mwanawasa, and the Organization of the First
Ladies of Africa for your important work. Thank you all very much.
(Applause.)

And thanks to each of you for your commitment to bringing better health and
renewed hope to the people of Zambian. Through initiatives like the Africa
Education Initiative, the President's Malaria Initiative, and the
President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the American people are proud
to stand with you. They share the same goals as the citizens of this
beautiful country: healthy lives today, and a more hopeful world for our
children.

Recently, citizens in my country found a fun way to show their support for
good health across the continent of Africa. Viewers of America's most
popular TV show, American Idol, donated millions of dollars to charities
that work to fight malaria and HIV/AIDS. Now -- and this is the surprise --
I'm pleased to introduce one of the American Idol finalists to perform for
us. Ladies and gentlemen, Melinda Doolittle. (Applause.)

END 1:30 P.M. (Local)

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