October - AIDS Awareness Month

October is AIDS Awareness Month here is a brief update from UNAIDS - Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.

UNAIDS recently published “Countdown to Zero: A Global Plan Towards the Elimination of New HIV Infections Among Children by 2015 and Keeping Their Mothers Alive.” Leaders from 25 countries, 30 civil societies, private sector, networks of people living with HIV and international organizations met to discuss the AIDS pandemic and draft a plan to force a dramatic decrease in the transmission of AIDS from mother to child during childbirth.

The plan has the following Global Targets:

                Global Target #1: Reduce the number of new HIV infections among children by 90%

                Global Target #2: Reduce the number of AIDS-related maternal deaths by 50%.

And these four key principles for success:

1.       Women living with HIV are central and must remain a focus

2.       Countries must own responsibility for eliminating new HIV infections among children

3.       National plans must leverage synergies, linkages and integration for improved sustainability

4.       Responsibility is shared between families, communities and countries and accountability must be specific

There are many challenges that must be overcome for “Countdown to Zero” to reach its goal. Among them are the needs for excellent leadership, countries to remain in alignment with the plan, adequate finances, comprehensive and coordinated implementation of treatment for mother and child, human resources, and infrastructure to support the consistent transport of supplies.

(To access the full report, go to www.unaids.org.)

Fourteen Women Making a Major Impact

Several times a year, individuals climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, as a fundraiser for the American Foundation for Children with AIDS. On October 1^st, fourteen women are flying to Tanzania to hike Kilimanjaro’s 19,340 feet. Each climber raised a minimum of $8,000 for AFCA and their efforts have the following impact.

·       Medical supplies affecting 30,000 people in Papoli, Uganda

·       School supplies for 800 children in Papoli, Uganda

·       Medical supplies affecting 170,000 people in Kilembe Mines, Uganda

·       2,475,000 doses of antibiotics for children to keep full blown AIDS at bay in 35 clinics throughout Uganda

·       Porridge, milk, and oil for 1600 children (twice daily) for 4 months in Mombasa and Voi, Kenya

·       Nevirapine, an anti-retroviral drug for 500 children and mothers in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

This list is truly amazing and we are extremely grateful to these women!

For more information about Climb Up: Kilimanjaro and other fundraising initiatives, or to make a donation that will build on the list above, go to www.AFCAids.org.