A Chinese proverb says: “A journey of thousand miles begins with a single step.” The Austrian Gery Keszler took his first step in his fight against AIDS in 1993, by founding the Life Ball for the first time. In those days, public awareness and financial support for AIDS were still in their infancy. Now, 20 years later, Life Ball has become one of the most prominent and biggest AIDS charity events in the world. On May 19th, Life Ball is embracing its 20^th anniversary in Vienna, expecting international guest stars and politicians, such as Milla Jovovich and Bill Clinton.

Life Ball is organized by the non-profit organization AIDS LIFE, whose founders were Gery Keszler and Dr. Torgom Petrosian. Since 1993, the organization has been dedicated to supporting national and international non-profit organizations dealing with AIDS issues, such as the Clinton Foundation. Its chairman, Bill Clinton, is representing the Gala concert “Red Ribbon Celebration Concert – United in Difference” at the Vienna Burgtheater. With the collected funds, Clinton is hoping to reduce the number of HIV-infected babies in Uganda and Sambia.

Auctions, events and speeches are generated at Life Ball every year, hoping to reach a high amount of donations, and moreover, to emphasize social responsibility and raise awareness in the public for those who are affected by AIDS. Life Ball has already become a symbol of acceptance, solidarity and tolerance, and an important voice of and for the affected minority. “HIV and AIDS can affect everybody regardless of gender, age, social status or sexual orientation. This is the reason why it is of the utmost importance to continue fighting the virus.” – Life Ball’s vision and mission

Every year, before the official opening ceremony in front of the Vienna City Hall, the traditional event’s fashion show takes place, making room for famous fashion designers presenting their inspiration from topics of Life Ball. This year, the editor-in-chief of Italian Vogue, Franca Sozzani, will be the patron of “VOGUE Italia hosts the 20th Anniversary Life Ball Fashion Show presented by MINI.” A retrospective fashion show is being expected on the Red Ribbon catwalk in front of the Vienna City Hall, presenting the most remarkable looks from the last two decades.

Last year, Life Ball managed to collect around two million euros for AIDS projects around the world. With its combination of charming Viennese ball tradition and a  modern, extravagant and provocative brand, Life Ball is yet again on its way to realize its mission and vision.

Image Courtesy of   Life Ball

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The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) has announced over $3.2 million in new grants that will further its mission to assist the most marginalized populations vulnerable to HIV infection. These new awards brought EJAF’s final total grant-making commitments for calendar 2011 to a record $8,316,871, with disbursements totaling $7,006,871 last year.

These grants represent EJAF’s continuing commitment to fund demographics and geographic regions that are seriously impacted by HIV/AIDS and under-served by traditional funders. Grant expenditures totaling $3,221,622 were awarded for 19 new and 29 renewal grants, including:

• health services for Black women, one of the highest HIV-impacted populations in this country;
• innovative programs focused on the health and rights of gay and bisexual men throughout the U.S.;
• programs designed to help people with HIV who are leaving prison to access and stay on treatment and maintain their health as they reintegrate into society;
• small community grants supporting services for gay men throughout Latin America;
• clinical and mental health services for vulnerable populations in the Caribbean; and
• additional funding totaling $1.6 million over two years to support over 50 community organizations providing needle exchange and harm reduction services for injection drug users.

“Through the efforts of hundreds of privately-funded syringe access programs, HIV incidence due to injection drug use in the U.S. has declined from 25% of all infections in 2000 to 9%,” said Executive Director Scott Campbell. “Scaled-up syringe access programming could bring injection-related HIV infections down to zero. Given Congress’ unfortunate reinstatement of the ban on the use of federal funding for syringe exchange programs, EJAF’s increased investments as one of the top three funders in this field are particularly crucial.”

“For twenty years, EJAF has remained consistent in our mission, even as we’ve increased the scope and reach of our grant-making,” added Chairman David Furnish. “Our most recent grants continue this historic focus, dedicating critical funding to the most urgent and under-resourced aspects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.”

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/evarinaldiphotography/

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“Progress in preventing HIV in the United States will be set back, while little will be done to provide additional care and treatment to people already living with HIV/AIDS in our country,” said Carl Schmid, Deputy Executive Director of The AIDS Institute, commenting on the final Fiscal Year 2012 spending bill to be voted on by Congress on December 16.

“This is especially disappointing in light of the optimism expressed by national and global leaders just two weeks ago on World AIDS Day,” he continued.

At the insistence of the House of Representatives, the bill would reinstate a federal funding ban of syringe exchange programs, a scientifically proven method to prevent HIV and other blood borne infections, while not increasing drug use. Additionally, the bill would resurrect failed abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, but only at a minimal level of $5 million.

Despite an estimated 50,000 new HIV infections each year and over 240,000 people unaware of their infection, funding for HIV prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would be cut by $10 million. Surprisingly, this cut would be to its school health HIV program. The CDC reports that young people aged 13–29 accounted for 39% of all new HIV infections in 2009.

The bill flat funds the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program except for a $15 million increase, originally proposed by the Senate, for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). The Ryan White Program provides care and treatment to over 550,000 low-income people with HIV/AIDS. According to NASTAD, there are currently 4,155 people in 12 states on ADAP waiting lists and over 445 people in six states who have been disenrolled from the program due to budget constraints and growing enrollment.

On World AIDS Day, President Obama, recognizing the need for additional funding for both care and treatment for low income people with HIV/AIDS in the U.S., announced $50 million in additional funds for the Ryan White Program. As part of that announcement, ADAP would receive an additional $35 million. While it is not known yet how the funds will be distributed, taken together, the $50 million in new ADAP money could eliminate the ADAP wait lists if it is distributed to the wait list states.

“We are extremely grateful to both President Obama and the Congress for continuing to recognize the importance of providing medications to people with HIV/AIDS and the serious funding gap for ADAP,” commented Michael Ruppal, Executive Director of The AIDS Institute. “While it is far from enough to meet the growing need, these increases are a very positive development.”

According to HRSA data, the number of ADAP clients served nationally has grown an astounding 40 percent from FY07-CY10. Under the bill, funding for medical research at the National Institutes of Health would increase by $299 million.

The final bill, which is a product of negotiation between the House and the Senate, is far better than the one introduced earlier this year by House Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Denny Rehberg.

That bill would have decimated the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program by cutting its budget from $105 million to $20 million, eliminate all Title X spending, and the entire Prevention and Public Health Fund. Additionally it would have prevented implementation of much of the Affordable Care Act. The bill also includes an across the board 0.189 percent cut, meaning all programs are subject to being cut even further

Jose Gil / Shutterstock.com

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Ambassador Michael A. Battle of the United States Mission to the African Union (USAU), was one of the volunteers on Thursday 1st December 2011, to do the HIV screening offered by the African Union (AU) Medical Services Directorate as the AU joins the rest of the International and Continental communities this day, to commemorate the World AIDS Day.

Several free will persons interested to know their status have been going through the Volunteer Counselling and Testing (VCT) services for HIV that started on Monday, 28th November 2011, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, until Friday, 2nd December 2011 at the Headquarters of the AU Commission (AUC), in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The exercise is one of the week-long activities organized by the Department of Social Affairs in collaboration with the Medical Services Directorate of the AU Commission to mark the commemoration of the World Aids Day.

Ambassador Battle was accompanied by his collaborators who witnessed the Volunteer Counselling and Testing provided by the AU Commission’s Medical Services Directorate (AU MSD) everybody.

The Medical team expressed appreciation to the gesture of the Ambassador saying that, the example will send out a very powerful message to encourage the people who are still hesitating to get tested.

“I am extremely proud of the African Union for taking leadership on HIV AIDS Day. AIDS is a disease that affects people all over the world. By accepting the volunteer screening today, I want to show that there is no shame in coming out and being tested and screened. I also want to encourage more people to do the same” Ambassador Battle explained. He advised that, the earlier a person can get tested for HIV, the more easy it is to cure “If we could get more and more people to just come out and have a test it will be better for the entire world”, he underscored.

Ambassador Battle announced that the same screening exercise is done at the US Embassy on the occasion of the World AIDS Day, but he chose to do it at the African Union “to show support and solidarity with the African continent” he emphasized.

Dr. Kilenga Naftal, Consultant and Senior Biologist of the AU MSD, thanked the US Mission and Ambassador Battle for the symbolic and very important gesture. He presented the different services offered by the MSD including medical consultations, paediatric services, scanning for breast cancer, dental and laboratory services. Dr Kilenga also stated that the MSD do not only provide HIV testing but also treatment for HIV/AIDS for more than 10 years.

It is worth recalling that, the AU Volunteer Counselling and Testing Services (VCT) is currently taking place inside an erected tent in front of the Medical Center where medical experts and practitioners are receiving people of all classes and works of life, including AU Staff who are interested to know about their status.

Image Courtesy of   https://www.facebook.com/pages/US-Mission-to-the-African-Union/93218692247

The article World AIDS Day: US Ambassador as African Union HIV Screening Volunteer appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Ambassador Michael A. Battle of the United States Mission to the African Union (USAU), was one of the volunteers on the 1. of December to do the HIV screening offered by the African Union (AU) Medical Services Directorate as the AU joins the rest of the International and Continental communities this day, to commemorate the World AIDS Day.

Several free will persons interested to know their status have been going through the Volunteer Counseling and Testing (VCT) services for HIV that started on Monday, 28th November 2011, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, until Friday, 2nd December 2011 at the Headquarters of the AU Commission (AUC), in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The exercise is one of the week-long activities organized by the Department of Social Affairs in collaboration with the Medical Services Directorate of the AU Commission to mark the commemoration of the World Aids Day. Ambassador Battle was accompanied by his collaborators who witnessed the Volunteer Counseling and Testing provided by the AU Commission’s Medical Services Directorate (AU MSD) everybody.

The Medical team expressed appreciation to the gesture of the Ambassador saying that, the example will send out a very powerful message to encourage the people who are still hesitating to get tested. “I am extremely proud of the African Union for taking leadership on HIV AIDS Day. AIDS is a disease that affects people all over the world.

By accepting the volunteer screening today, I want to show that there is no shame in coming out and being tested and screened. I also want to encourage more people to do the same” Ambassador Battle explained. He advised that, the earlier a person can get tested for HIV, the more easy it is to cure “If we could get more and more people to just come out and have a test it will be better for the entire world,” he underscored.

Ambassador Battle announced that the same screening exercise is done at the US Embassy on the occasion of the World AIDS Day, but he chose to do it at the African Union “to show support and solidarity with the African continent” he emphasized. Dr. Kilenga Naftal, Consultant and Senior Biologist of the AU MSD, thanked the US Mission and Ambassador Battle for the symbolic and very important gesture.

He presented the different services offered by the MSD including medical consultations, pediatric services, scanning for breast cancer, dental and laboratory services. Dr Kilenga also stated that the MSD do not only provide HIV testing but also treatment for HIV/AIDS for more than 10 years.

It is worth recalling that, the AU Volunteer Counseling and Testing Services (VCT) is currently taking place inside an erected tent in front of the Medical Center where medical experts and practitioners are receiving people of all classes and works of life, including AU Staff who are interested to know about their status.

Image Courtesy of  https://www.facebook.com/pages/US-Mission-to-the-African-Union/93218692247

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