Congress, after some hesitation from its conservative members, finally passed legislation that would provide $48 billion to treat AIDS and other diseases in Africa and key Third World nations over the next five years.

Passed by the House of Representatives earlier this year, the bill extends and more than triples spending for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The move is seen by many as an important step in not only stopping the spread of the AIDS virus in poor nations, but in also improving this country’s badly damaged international image, tarnished by years of poor foreign policies. 

The African Medical and Research Foundation, an international health organization located in Kenya, reports that there will be approximately 18 million AIDS orphans in Africa by 2010. The disease, which is 100 percent preventable, has ravished the continent, killing more than 35 million since the disease was first discovered. Currently, PEPFAR funds treatment for nearly 1.5 million people in Africa and in Third World nations, preventing the spread of new infections and providing care for AIDS orphans.

Much like the African-American AIDS epidemic here at home, much of the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is rooted in poverty and lack of information and access. Funding that integrates healthcare with awareness programs and increased job and educational opportunities is the only way to combat the disease. If the funds set aside by PEPFAR are allocated properly, the money could go a long way in helping to combat a disease that has taken lives and broken so many families.

Before voting their support for the bill, many conservatives expressed a desire to see the program’s abstinence education efforts increased. While critics disagree on whether or not such outreach efforts are realistic or even successful, many countries, including the U.S., include them in their public health programs. However, it is important for the U.S. government, which still has to allocate how the funds from PEPFAR will be spent, to ensure that abstinence education does not overshadow other prevention efforts. Debunking myths about how the virus is spread and educating communities on how to protect themselves is critical. Providing educational opportunities for women so that they are empowered to make safe sexual choices is also necessary. 

While much still needs to be worked out, passage of the bill shed the spotlight on what seems to be President Bush’s continuing commitment to the continent of Africa and those suffering from AIDS. Despite his administration’s approach to foreign policy, which includes bullying, ignorance and deception, the president has slowly but surely shown his support for Africa and her people. Perhaps this will be his legacy: A bright spot in an administration that has given the world little else to celebrate.

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Judge Greg Mathis is national vice president of Rainbow PUSH and a national board member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.