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Manyun Melanie Yau writes: Dear Readers,Hey and welcome to my hero essay. But before I start... let me tell you a little about myself. I'm Chinese American, from Hong Kong and California, USA. But I live in the Middle East, in Lebanon. I go to the American Community School at Beirut and I'm currently in 8th grade. I'm 14 years old and will be going to high school after the summer vacation.
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| Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light. ~Norman B. Rice |
AIDS HERO:
MOSES ZULU
by Manyun Melanie Yau from Beirut
"A child in the street is a child that has been exposed to a lot of vices. And this child has developed hate. This child has developed no passion whatsoever. This child has no love at all. This child has no respect for himself or herself. He sees everybody as an enemy, he can’t trust anyone."
Who is Moses Zulu talking about? Are there even people who live like that? Sadly, in truth, there are. They happen to be the Zambian children that my hero, Moses Zulu, helps to improve their lives. Zulu gives many children the hope to live even though they might have AIDS. Without his hard, determined work through his organization of Children’s Town, many Zambian children would have been forced to survive in an African city by getting a job as a street vendor, or resorting to crime or prostitution.
I hope that when people look back in time, they, too, will think that he is a hero for providing many people with the hope and inspiration that they would not have had without his help. Zulu’s contribution to today’s modern world society teaches us to lend a helping hand to others who are not as privileged as those of us who are. He teaches us to make a difference in the world by helping others. "At our core," he says, "we enable our children to have dreams, to believe in themselves and to take responsibility for their lives."
Finding out about Moses Zulu and his work, I knew that he was the hero that I wanted to share with the world. I read about his generous, warm-hearted aid to Zambian children who were barely living, and it reminded me of how I have always wanted to help children, as well as adults, in need. Although I have never felt the pains of poverty, the hardships of not having a home, the loneliness of not having a family to care for me, or ill health and AIDS, I know that thousands, if not millions, of people in the world have gone through these terrifying, agonizing, and miserable experiences. Learning from Moses Zulu that it is possible to help these people in a way that could change their lives forever, I know that my hero and I share some of the same interests, goals, and dreams.
As we all know, a hero can basically be defined as any person who is admired for their qualities and achievements and is regarded as an ideal or model. Moses Zulu is someone who fits my meaning of a hero. I learned that there are not many people in the world who are willing to help others in need, as Moses Zulu does. Others in the world might not even know that these children and adults exist at all. That is why we have to raise awareness about them and try to solve this crisis. And from now on, if you ever throw away your banana just because it’s all brown-specked and mushy, well, remember that a group of people suffering from AIDS, homelessness, poverty, or other causes, would fight each other just to get their hands on a single, over-ripe banana.
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Written by
Manyun Melanie Yau from Beirut
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Global Giving Projects Moses Zulu's Children's Town in Malambanyama The New Heroes Meeting Moses Zulu, a new hero in the world |
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| Austin Gutwein founded Hoops of Hope. | Clara Hale was foster mother and founder of the Hale House. | Daphna Ziman founded Children Uniting Nations. | David D. Ho has worked to find a cure for AIDS. |
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| Dr. Mark Jacobson works with AIDS patients in Tanzania. | Dr. Zeda Rosenberg is working to protect women from HIV/AIDS. | Elizabeth Glaser created the Pediatric AIDS Foundation. | Fati Kirakoya is a researcher committed to finding solutions to end HIV/AIDS. |
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| Florence Ngobeni urges African leaders to work for AIDS prevention. | Gertrude B. Elion developed the AIDS drug, AZT. | Helene Gayle is one of the leading authorities on AIDS research. | Kofi Annan is an honored freedom and peacemaker hero. |
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| Moses Zulu established Children's Town in Zambia to teach AIDS orphans life skills. | Mother Mary helps Senegalese children and mothers with HIV/AIDS. | Nathaniel Dunigan creates hope for Ugandan orphans with HIV/AIDS. | Nkosi Johnson , an orphan infected by HIV who spoke out on behalf of children with AIDS. |
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| Philly Bongole Lutaaya was the first Ugandan to put a human face on AIDS. | Princess Diana campaigned passionately for various causes. | Ryan Wayne White devoted his life to educating the public about AIDS. | Sinikethemba Choir uses music to break the silence about AIDS. |
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| Stephen Lewis , a former UN Special Envoy in Africa, established his own AIDS foundation. | Thatcher Bailey opened a housing and health facility for AIDS patients. | Thembi Ngubane , through radio chronicles, offered hope to others living with HIV/AIDS. | World Aids Day was created to educate the world about AIDS. |
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| A Powerful Noise promotes the global empowerment of women | A Stranger helped a young girl who was lost in the city. | Alan Beavan will be remembered for his bravery on Sept. 11, 2001. | Albert Schweitzer had a 'reverence for life.' |
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| Andrea Coleman has used her passion for motorcycling to transform healthcare delivery in rural parts of Africa. | Babak Darvish, MD inspires his patients and coworkers with his upbeat attitude and determination. | Balto led his dog team on the lifesaving 1925 serum run to Rome, Alaska | Ben Carson is the chief of neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. |
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| Bernard Fantus created the world's first blood bank. | Bernard Kouchner is the co-founder of Doctors without Borders | Bill Wilson changed countless lives and livelihoods by founding Alcoholics Anonymous. | Chiune and Yukiko Sugihara believed in freedom and saved many Jews during WWII. |
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| Claire Lalanne founded the Center for Nutritional Recovery. | Colonel Jack H. Jacobs His extraordinary heroism saved the lives of 14 people. | Dan Mazur sacrificed climbing to the summit of Mt. Everest to save another climber. | Dennis Smith Dennis Smith is an author and retired firefighter |
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| Desmond T. Doss became a medic during WWII and saved many lives. | Doctor Steven Kopits was a compassionate physician who lives on in the hearts of his patients. | Don Cheadle and Darfur Now deliver a call to action to stop the genocide in the Sudan. | Dr. David Applebaum was a selfless emergency room doctor in Jerusalem |
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| Dr. Ginger Holt saved Drew's leg when he was in the hospital. | Dr. J. Larry Brown directs the national Center on Hunger and Poverty. | Dr. Mark Jacobson works with AIDS patients in Tanzania. | Dr. Michael DeBakey is the father of modern open-heart surgery. |
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| Dr. Paul Brand was a compassionate surgeon who pioneered work in leprosy. | Dr. Van Halbach is a hero to the Ghenender family for saving Ingrid's life. | Eddie Aikau loved the sea and often risked his life to save others | Edith Cavell was a nurse who risked her own safety to help others during WWI |
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| Elizabeth Blackwell became the first female doctor and opened the first medical school for women. | Evelyn H. Lauder founded the Breast Cancer Research Foundation | Fauzia Minallah is the founder of Funkor Childart Centre and an ARTIVIST. | Firefighters in New York City are the heroes of the day. |
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| Fireworkers from Chernobyl bravely gave their lives to protect the safety of others during the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. | Florence Ngobeni urges African leaders to work for AIDS prevention. | Florence Nightingale revolutionized nursing. | Frances Moore Lappe works to eliminate the injustices that cause hunger. |
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| Fred Hollows was an Australian ophthalmologist committed to providing eye care to Aboriginal and poor people. | Fridtjof Nansen was a daring explorer, a freedom fighter, and a selfless humanitarian. | George Latham saved a girl from a burning car and is also a hero to his daughter. | Giorgio Perlasca saved the lives of thousands of Jews during WWII |
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| Harriet Tubman organized the Underground Railroad and helped lead slaves to freedom. | Helene Gayle is one of the leading authorities on AIDS research. | Hermine Santrouschitz (Miep Gies) kept Anne Frank and her family safely hidden from the Nazis. | In My Name challenges all of us to take a stand to end poverty. |
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| Irena Sendler helped Jewish children escape the Warsaw ghetto during the Holocaust. | Ivan Beltrami joined the resistance during WWII and saved many Jews. | Jody Williams is a human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner who began a campaign to rid the world of landmines. | John Polivchuk was a firefighter who inspired others with his bravery, selflessness and optimism. |
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| Jon Rose is a surfer dedicated to bringing clean drinking water to the world. | Judith Blair donated one of her kidneys to a man in desperate need. | Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is a hero to Rachel who was recently diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes. | Kurt Klein brought, among others, his future wife, Gerda, and Oskar Schindler, to safety. |
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| Lillie Hitchcock-Coit was a turn of the century firefighting hero. | Liviu Librescu was a Virginia Tech teacher who sacrificed his life to save his students. | Maximilian Kolbe was a Catholic Saint known for his great humanity during WWII. | Michael Kelley beat all the odds as a paratrooper and police officer. |
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| Mike Kelly risked his career as a surgeon to save Bob's life. | Mikey Ray Frasier is a lifesaver three times over. | Molly Pitcher was a Revolutionary War heroine who bravely carried water to soldiers on the battlefield. | Moses Zulu established Children's Town in Zambia to teach AIDS orphans life skills. |
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| mpower harnesses the power of music to change youth attitudes about mental health. | Nathaniel Dunigan creates hope for Ugandan orphans with HIV/AIDS. | Nick Anderson and Ana Slavin challenge young people to get involved to help end the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. | Norman Borlaug saved billions of lives with his agricultural discoveries. |
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| Olara Otunnu is devoted to saving the lives and futures of children in war-torn countries. | Olivia Harrison founded an organization to help abandoned children in Romania. | Oumoul Khary Sow founded the Caravan of Hope which travels to remote areas in Senegal to help prevent malaria. | Pat Pedraja and Driving for Donors is helping young and old cancer patients receive the life saving bone marrow treatments. |
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| Paul Farmer has dedicated his life to treating people in the poorest nations in the world | Paul Rusesabagina saved the lives of more than 1200 Rwandans who took refuge in his hotel. | Princess Eliza Ella has been inspired by Eliza the hero in The Wild Swans by Hans Christian Anderson | Raoul Wallenberg saved thousands of lives during the Holocaust. |
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| RAWA promotes women's rights through non-violent action. | Robert E. Kimura, M.D. is a hero to his niece in and out of the operating room. | Rudolph Giuliani , New York Mayor, was a compassionate leader following the World Trade Center attack. | Ryan Hreljac helps build wells for clean water in Africa. |
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| Sompop Jantraka helps poor children in Thailand to avoid child prostitution and obtain an education. | To Write Love On Her Arms was founded to help people suffering from depression and substance abuse. | Tommie Hamaluba is a teacher in Botswana, Africa working to eradicate malaria. | Trisomy 18 Foundation raises awareness and supports research for cures for this genetic disorder. |
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| Vilmos Farkas sacrificed his personal safety to save the lives of a couple of strangers. |
Last changed on:6/6/2008
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