KEETCH SEES AIDS CRISIS AT FIRST HAND

12.35.14pm GMT Fri 28th Apr 2006

Paul Keetch MP presenting the football shirts to orphans at the SOS Children's Village in Tlokweng

Hereford's MP, Paul Keetch, saw the affects of Africa's aids crisis when he visited Botswana for a few days over the Easter Recess. Mr Keetch who is an officer of the Parliamentary All-Party Botswana Group visited the southern African state with the Labour MP David Borrow, an officer of the Parliamentary AIDS Group. As well as meeting the Health Minister, Hon. Prof. Sheila Tlou, the MPs visited Botswana's main AIDS hospital to meet staff and patients, and witnessed some aids support projects outside the capital, Gaborone. They also had the opportunity to met researchers from Harvard Aids Institute Partnership trying to develop a vaccine.

The main focus of the visit was to see how the disease had affected the country's young people and the MPs visited a number of nurseries for children with aids and those left as orphans because of the disease.

"The aids pandemic has left a terrible legacy for the children of Southern Africa and with 3.2 million more people infected in 2005, it seems to be spiralling out of control" said Mr Keetch.

"Yet in Botswana, the Government is tackling the disease head on. I witnessed this involvement when I first visited an SOS Children's Village in Gaborone two years ago - it was a very touching experience and on my return back to the UK, I was determined that the Parliamentary Group could help with projects in Botswana and this site was my first thought."

The local MP visiting a classroom at the Little Friends Centre in Serowe, Botswana

SOS Children's Villages throughout Botswana provide vital care and support to children of all ages who have been left orphans through no fault of their own. They live in houses with a surrogate mother, aunt and up to ten other children who become brothers and sisters.

"I remembered when I first visited how they loved to play football," said Mr Keetch. "So I asked my son and his mates to save their football kits they had grown out of. I took them with me and it was great to see the joy on the children's faces as we handed out over 20 shirts! They had all heard of Arsenal and Manchester United, but hardly any knew of the football legends, Hereford United - they do know now though!

"The Parliamentary Group is now working with the Botswana Government to see how we can help develop new SOS Children's Villages throughout Botswana. In a country that is so beautiful with abundant natural resources it was humbling to see how happy young kids with so little can be."