On Tuesday, former South African President Nelson Mandela gave his backing to a new program to supply medication to 9,000 AIDS patients who cannot afford it. Mandela is to act as the patron of the program, a joint initiative between a charitable foundation bearing his name and the South African government. The treatment program is named for Tshepang, a baby who survived being gang raped last year. The effort hopes to raise 80 million rand (US $8.6 million) from local and international donors. Poverty in the nation is deepening, and most HIV-infected people are being left untreated, Mandela said at the launch. "Talk is necessary but is not sufficient," he said. "The test is what you are doing on the ground."

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