Resources for Teachers and Students
Prepare: David Ho is a professor at The Rockefeller
University, where he directs the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research
Center, ADARC. His professional
biography and curriculum vitae can be found at the
ADARC website. He was named Time Magazine's "Man of
the Year" in 1996. The article written about him in
Time is available in their online
archive.
Read:
David Ho wrote an original
essay for the Architects of Peace project. In it, he
suggests that our response to the AIDS crisis is "a
measure of our care for one another."
Explore: The United Nations has set up a joint program,
called UNAIDS,
to advocate for global action to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
In conjunction with the World Health Organization, UNAIDS
tracks the latest worldwide epidemiological facts and makes
them available on their website on both a region-by-region
and country-by-country basis. There are currently more than
40 million people worldwide living with HIV.
Write: Early in the year 2000, the United Nations
Security Council held an open debate on the impact of AIDS
on the peace and security of Africa. It was the first time
in the history of the United Nations that the council discussed
a health issue as a threat to peace. Over 40 speakers entered
into the debate, which took place over a period of seven
hours. A summary of the positions taken can be found on
the website of the United
Information Service. After reading this summary,
draft your own position regarding the relationship between
AIDS and peace, and summarize it in a one-to-two page paper.
List at least some current epidemiological statistics as
evidence of your contention.
Extend:
David Ho is a member of the National Board of Governors
for Project
Inform, a national, non-profit, community-based
organization whose mission is to end the AIDS epidemic.
Information about this project, including extensive listings
of available resources as well as listings of volunteer
opportunities, can be found on their website.
Additional Resource: Additional information about
the current state of the HIV/AIDS crisis and the latest
efforts to develop antiviral therapy can be found on a special
website set up for this purpose by the World
Health Organization.
Biography of David
Ho
