Thomas Daschle: “In August, I had the good fortune to be able to travel with several Senate colleagues to South Africa, Kenya, Botswana…”

“In August, I had the good fortune to be able to travel with several Senate colleagues to South Africa, Kenya, Botswana, and Nigeria. We wanted to get a clear look at the development challenges in Africa, including health crises, U.S. investment and trade, micro-enterprise development, education and agriculture. Even before we left, we got a sense of the common cause between the people of the United States and the people of Africa. Working with the South Dakota Red Cross and Hope Worldwide, citizens from Sioux Falls donated more than 1000 pounds of clothes and toys to South African children who have been affected by the AIDS pandemic. I want to publicly acknowledge the great work of Stephanie Koster, director of HIV/AIDS Services for the Sioux Empire Chapter of the American Red Cross, on this effort. I was overjoyed to be able to deliver, on behalf of South Dakotans, some glimmer of hope to children who have suffered either because one or both of their parents contracted HIV or because they themselves contracted it. In Soweto we met a young girl, Mary, who gave me an indication of the price children are paying as a result of HIV. Mary is 12 and the eldest of five children. She recently lost both of her parents due to complications with AIDS. Not yet a teenager, she is left to fend for herself and her four siblings.”