African first ladies vow to get bolder on HIV/AIDS

The Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) vowed this week to intensify their fight against the disease on the continent. Kicking off the OAFLA steering committee meeting in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, Rwandandese First Lady Jeannette Kagame urged the delegates to redouble their efforts. A local newspaper, The Post, quoted Kagame as saying: "As we ... witness the devastation of our families and communities we may be tempted to give up, and be driven to a point where we tell ourselves that this pandemic is too big and nothing can be done to stop it - but we cannot admit defeat!" She stressed the importance of OAFLA shifting from compassion to action in order to yield encouraging results.