HIV/AIDS realities
on December 1, 2007
Category: HIV/AIDS
Remembering Busi who died on the 12th March this year and all my friends living with HIV.
President Bush today announced he would be asking the US Congress to agree $30billion over the next 5 years. However in the past the US has tied HIV/AIDS funding to abstinence only HIV programmes and in Uganda they have supported anti-gay organisations that prevent access to treatment by members of the LGBT community. In 2006 56% of PEPFAR (Presidents Emergency Plan for Aids Relief) prevention funding (20% of PEPFAR) went to “abstinence until marriage programmes” and 44% went to other programmes such as avoidance and reducing risk behaviour along with condom use BUT no monies went to any condom only promotion programmes. PEPFAR also refuses funding to sex workers by insisting that HIV/AIDS and other health NGOs choose to oppose sex work or receive no funds. The overall result of all the restrictions on funding which ignore the realities of people’s lives, is that there has been a significant increases in HIV contraction particularly amongst women and young people and in countries like Uganda that are recipients of PEPFAR funding.
AIDS activist across the world are calling for universal responsibility and access to medication at affordable costs, an end to all conditional funding that results in exclusion of any group of people and more education to remove myths surrounding HIV/AIDS and the stigmatisation of those living with HIV/AIDS.
Abstaining from Reality:
Links:
Prevention Justice
Reality Check
PEPFAR WATCH
Tags:
World Aids Day
HIV/AIDS
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6 Comments so far
1. cherynne
December 1st, 2007 at 2:39 pm
I am also thinking of Busi today.
I would like to say Thank You to all the hiv activists around the world,those who live with hiv because it is hard to fight against hiv in your body and also fight against the injustice we face and those who are hiv –ve because it is hard to fight about something which does not affect you directly.
Have a look at the T-shirt collection gallery at http://www.actupny.org/
my favorite is the AZT one although now outdated , maybe its time for a Kaletra tshirt.
Support http://www.accessmed-msf.org/campaign/faq.shtm
2. Rista
December 1st, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Hi Sokari. Thanks for flagging this. Truly abstaining from reality. But like some folk say, there’s more than one way to skin a cat/wipe out a portion of the continent. But then again, we aren’t hapless victims, and as the lady says, Absistence only is being promoted ’cause that’s where the money is.
3. La
December 1st, 2007 at 7:18 pm
An absolutely necessary post! There are indeed significant rigidities and restrictions in and around donor funding, PEPFAR inclusive; hence, especially when it comes to HIV/AIDS. I must however tell you that there is USG-PEPFAR funding now being used for HIV/AIDS mitigation amongst commercial sex workers.
4. Ron Hudson
December 3rd, 2007 at 3:33 am
I couldn’t agree more, my friend. Let us hope and pray for change. Thank you for your support and involvement because I remember Busi now, thanks to you. I have been fortunate this year in not losing someone. My heart goes out to you.
Peace to you with great hope for 2008.
Ron
5. Black Looks
February 4th, 2008 at 8:44 am
[…] even more problems for AIDS programmes and people living with HIV and AIDS. PEPFAR has now become a meaningless and restrictive programme as added to this latest condition are other conditions such as funding abstinence only programmes […]
6. Black Looks
June 5th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
[…] with men who have sex with men. The meeting is part funded by PEPFAR which ties HIV funding to abstinence only programmes and anti-prostitution clauses. On 2 May 2008, Kihumuro Apuuli, Director General of the […]