World AIDS Day

1 DECEMBER is World AIDS Day 2013, and on this day we remember World’s Children’s Prize Laureate Nkosi Johnson from South Africa. Nkosi died of AIDS in 2001, when he was only 12 years old. In his speech at the 13th International AIDS Conference he said: "Care for us and accept us — we are all human beings. We are normal. We have hands. We have feet. We can walk, we can talk, we have needs just like everyone else — don't be afraid of us — we are all the same!"
Nkosi fought tirelessly for children with HIV/AIDS – their right to attend school and to be treated like other children. Nkosi also opened a home for poor mothers and children with AIDS. Nkosi urged the South African government to give mothers with HIV/AIDS anti-HIV drugs that would save the lives of tens of thousands of children in South Africa every year. Long after his passing, Nkosi continues to be a role model for children with AIDS and for the healthy children (and adults) who he taught not be afraid of children with HIV/AIDS to respect them.
Nkosi would have been be happy to see some of the positive signs: Declining new HIV infections in children, fewer AIDS-related deaths and progress being made in antiretroviral therapy. However children and adults with AIDS are still being discriminated against. That’s why the UN theme for World AIDS day 2013 is Zero Discrimination.