Mary M. Kanya

About the author: Mary M. Kanya is the ambassador of Swaziland, one of the countries of southern Africa hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic.

Contrary to the common belief that Africans are in denial about the AIDS epidemic and are not making efforts to help themselves, African leaders are committed to addressing the AIDS crisis in sub- Saharan Africa. Southern Africa's efforts are evident in countries such as Zimbabwe, which has implemented a 3 percent tax to pay for AIDS health care costs, and also in Botswana, which is developing a national AIDS agency to fight the AIDS epidemic. In addition, the political leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), made up of the five southern African countries most affected by AIDS, are developing coordinated national action...