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Results tagged “HIV/AIDS” from NatGeo News Watch

Clinton's Charity to Focus on AIDS in the U.S.

Posted on August 4, 2008 | 0 Comments

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Mexico City--President Clinton addressed the International AIDS Conference here today.

"AIDS is a very big dragon," he said. "The mythological dragon was slain by St. George, the original knight in shining armor. But this dragon must be slain instead by millions and millions of foot soldiers."

Clinton cited his HIV/AIDS work in Africa and specifically mentioned the case of the 15-year-old boy and the boy's sister, Eugenie, whom Clinton had visited in Rwanda earlier on the trip. The former President said he had told the boy, Jean-Pierre, not to give up hope and to keep up with his education. Jean-Pierre said he wanted to be a doctor so that he could help others, Clinton said.

Reacting to the recent announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that there are 56,000 more new HIV infections a year than had previously been reported in the U.S., Clinton said: "For Americans, this should be a wake-up call. Even as we fight the epidemic globally, we must focus at home. And I intend to do so with my foundation."

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Clinton Announces AIDS Initiative in Senegal

Posted on August 3, 2008 | 0 Comments

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Dakar, Senegal--
The final stop in Africa lasted only a few hours.

Essentially we flew here to listen to President Clinton and others make an announcement about new guidelines to treat infants born with HIV.

 Read the National Geographic News story about it.

 

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In Liberia for a Few Hours

Posted on August 3, 2008 | 0 Comments

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Monrovia, Liberia--We were up at 3 this morning for the flight to Monrovia, capital of Liberia. In something like 30 hours we will have set foot in four countries: Rwanda, Liberia, Senegal, and Mexico.

After interviewing Clinton last night I found there was no electricity in my hotel room. This is a major problem in the digital age because so much of our equipment needs overnight recharging. I packed for the early morning departure by keeping the room door open so I could see by the light of the hallway. After only three hours' sleep I shaved, showered, and dressed in the dark.

The media are no longer using the "Flying Palace." Clinton and his delegation have taken it over. We and the staff are on a chartered Ethiopian airliner. Seating is standard economy class, but the journalists still managed to set up the cabin like an airborne newsroom. Equipment is spread across the seats, and cables snake over the floor.

The cabin crew are excited about being part of the Clinton adventure and several asked how they could get their picture taken with the former President.

We were in Liberia for only a few hours. Click on the extended entry to see photos and a video.

 

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An Interview With Bill Clinton

Posted on August 3, 2008 | 0 Comments

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Kigali, Rwanda--Back in the capital last night, a few of us rushed to visit the Kigali Memorial Center, which was opened four years ago on the tenth anniversary of the genocide.

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The memorial is built on a site where 250,000 victims of the genocide were interred by Kigali authorities after countless unidentified people in shallow graves were found buried all across the city.

We began the visit with a somber viewing of one of 15 giant vaults that hold the remains, bowing our heads in silence for a moment to think about the enormity of what was in front of us.

While on a guided tour of the exhibit, I received a call from Clinton's staff that the President would give me the interview I had requested right away. So still in my field clothes from the day 's various outings around Rwanda, I was taken to Clinton's hotel.

Read about the interview (and click on an MP3 file at the bottom to listen to the interview) in the extended entry. 

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Bill Clinton's Ties to Rwanda

Posted on August 2, 2008 | 0 Comments

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DSCN2306a.jpgKigali, Rwanda--
Some 800,000 people were killed in the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. It happened on Bill Clinton's watch as U.S. president .

On a visit to Rwanda ten years ago, Clinton publicly acknowleged that the United States and the world community "did not do as much as we could have and should have done to try to limit what occurred." History may judge that this was one of the worst lapses of the Clinton administration

Clinton has talked about this a bit on this trip to Africa, including at a dinner he hosted last night for the press.

He says he has a lifelong responsibility to help Rwanda recover from the genocide.

William J. Clinton Foundation initiatives include assistance to develop a national rural health network and partnering with community, farmers, entrepreneurs, hospitals, and health care facilities to support a sustainable economy.

The 2008 Clinton tour of Africa is to look at some of these projects. We started with a meeting with some Rwandan coffee farmers.

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The President's Plane Breaks Down

Posted on August 1, 2008 | 0 Comments

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Kigali, Rwanda--One hour  on the way to Rwanda on the "Flying Palace," as we call our plane, we made a wide turn and headed back to Addis Ababa.

"The President's aircraft had to abort take-off after an engine malfunctioned," a staffer told us. "We're going back to pick him up."

Read more in the extended entry.

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President Clinton's Boeing 767 was on loan from Google.

Photo by David Braun/NGS

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Clinton Visits Health Care Center

Posted on August 1, 2008 | 0 Comments

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Debre Zeit, Ethiopia--Godino Health Center, serving the community of Debre Zeit 40 miles (70 kilometers) south of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, is a modest health care facility by developed world standards.Yet it represents a big idea for Ethiopia's system of health care, and President Clinton came here today on the first leg of his Africa trip to make it a powerful symbol.

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President Clinton greets health extension workers at Godino Health Center.

 Photograph by David Braun/NGS

"I am honored to visit the Godino Health Center to launch my Foundation's Ethiopian Millennium Rural Initiative in partnership with the Government of Ethiopia," Mr. Clinton told hundreds of people gathered on a dusty field to see him. "Working together, we can improve health care for millions of people who live in rural areas of Ethiopia, and also enable future generations to live free of HIV/AIDS."

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With Clinton in Africa

Posted on August 1, 2008 | 0 Comments

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We woke up in our luxury airliner to the smell of coffee. The crew served breakfast before touching down in Malaga, Spain, for fuel.

The second leg of the flight sped us over Libya and the Sahara Desert toward the setting sun.

On the ground in Addis Ababa we boarded buses directly from the aircraft. A member of the advance team told us that President Clinton was waiting for us in the hotel restaurant. It was already past midnight in Ethiopia, seven hours ahead of New York time.

"What a nightmare for you," Clinton said when we finally caught up with him. "We've been working hard to bring you to us."

The staff briefed us about the program for the day. We had about five hours to sleep and then we were to accompany the delegation to a rural clinic. From there we would go directly to the airport for an afternoon program in Rwanda.

I spent one of the five hours in the hotel business center trying unsuccessfully to access my email and upload to my blog.

Into Africa in Style

Posted on July 31, 2008 | 0 Comments

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More than 50 hours after our planned departure we finally managed to get off the ground.

To meet our new aircraft, which was being flown in from Nassau, we had to relocate from Newark, New Jersey, to John F Kennedy Airport, New York.

We had hours to kill while the crew had to take a mandatory rest after their flight from the Bahamas. The Clinton Foundation arranged for us to have the use of a hotel restaurant near the hanger where we were to board the replacement aircraft.

Eventually the call came for us to head to the airport. Homeland Security sent over two officers to screen us and our carry-on bags in a lounge.

Toward midnight we were driven out to the plane. When we entered it, we could not quite grasp the reality of our new aircraft, especially after what we had been going through over the past couple of days.

Click on the extended entry to see pictures of what this plane looked like.

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With Clinton to Africa--Not Yet

Posted on July 30, 2008 | 0 Comments

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Twenty-four hours after posting about the delayed departure of the media accompanying President Clinton on his trip to Africa, we are ... still waiting.

Journalists and staff have been stranded here at Newark Airport, New Jersey, since Monday afternoon.

A separate aircraft carrying Clinton and his party left on time. He is getting ready to start his second day in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The former president visits Africa every year to look at projects supported by his foundation. This year's itinerary includes Ethiopia, Rwanda, Liberia, and Senegal. 

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With Clinton to Africa--Almost

Posted on July 29, 2008 | 0 Comments

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Since leaving office as the 42nd President of the United States nearly eight years ago, Bill Clinton has become involved in humanitarian work across the world.

His William J. Clinton Foundation today employs more than 800 staff and volunteers in many countries. Millions of dollars are raised for programs that include the prevention and treatment of Malaria and HIV/AIDS, helping large cities reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promoting economic opportunity, and creating sustainable development in Africa.

Every year Clinton takes leaders and the media to Africa to look at some of the projects supported by his Foundation. A photo of Clinton on his 2007 trip to Africa is in the extended section of this post.

The trip this year starts today in Ethiopia, then proceeds to Rwanda, Liberia, and Senegal. It ends in Mexico City, where Clinton will deliver remarks at an international AIDS conference.

I am going along for the ride ... if only we can get going!

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