Category Archives: Jane’s Blog

I won’t give up!

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Two years ago in my World AIDS Day message, I talked about K’naan and how I wanted to write a rap song about HIV. This year, I’ve picked a song from a different artist that expresses my sentiments about the ongoing challenge of the HIV pandemic. It’s a song by the brilliant Jason Mraz and the theme is this… I Won’t Give Up!

Caring about the issue of HIV can be discouraging at times. This has been a particularly emotional week. Each year, around this time, UNAIDS releases a World AIDS Day update. As you read the report, you could end up feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of this pandemic that continues to wreak havoc for individuals, families and communities across the globe. Despite the daunting statistics and the personal tragedies that I have witnessed, I remain an obstinate optimist – using the report to look for the signs of positive progress. I note for instance that new HIV infections in children are 43% lower than in 2003, before the Give a Day movement had started. This news brings tangible evidence that the elimination of new infections in children is possible.

But this week carried with it some unique emotional low points. Just as we celebrate that 8 million people in the world now have access to anti-retroviral therapy, we realize equal numbers of people – who need those medications right now to stay alive – don’t have access. And Canadians have reason to feel particularly disheartened this week because the initiative to fix Canada’s flawed regime for sending low-priced generic medicines to less-resourced countries was defeated in the House of Commons. We walked away from an extraordinary opportunity to help save lives.

…which brings me to the Jason Mraz song that speaks to the need to persevere, saying…

“I won’t give up

I don’t wanna be someone who walks away so easily,

I’m here to stay and make the difference that I can make

Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use the tools and gifts we got, yeah, we got a lot at stake”

Indeed when it comes to the HIV pandemic, there is a lot at stake. In 2012, no one should live or die with AIDS. The need to act is as urgent as it has ever been in the 30 years since this pandemic was described. We cannot give up. We cannot walk away so easily. We must respond somehow.

That’s why I’m proud to remind you about Give a Day. It is a movement of ordinary Canadians who recognize World AIDS Day each year and they respond in a practical way. These concerned global citizens give one day’s pay to organizations that put those resources to good use in the communities most affected by HIV. To date, Give a Day has raised over $3.5 million for the two recipients that we recommend: the Stephen Lewis Foundation and Dignitas International.

Please join me in expressing your commitment to the people and places most affected by HIV. On December 1, World AIDS Day, please Give a Day. In the words of Jason Mraz…

I won’t give up.

Reflections on the eve of the 19th International AIDS Conference

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I was just finishing my first year of medical school in June of 1981 when five cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia were reported at three hospitals in California. This collection of cases would later be considered to mark the start of the story of HIV and AIDS in North America.

Now, more than 30 years later, I realize that the varying phases and the shifting mood in the evolving story of HIV in the world have been mirrored somehow in the changing seasons of my own career. Today, on the eve of the 2012 International AIDS Conference in Washington DC, I reflect on the seasons of the pandemic. It seems to me that while the global response started with a period of discovery, this was followed by a long spell of despair. But in more recent years it appears that the much of the global community has entered a phase of determination – a firm resolve to bring the story of HIV to its rightful end.

DISCOVERY

I remember the period of immense discovery through the 1980s and early 1990s because it occurred during the years that I too was on a steep learning curve in the acquisition of medical knowledge. In 1983, right about the time the virus that causes AIDS was first isolated, I was a keen final year medical student studying in the hills of western Kenya. That year was my first introduction to the beauty of the continent of sub-Saharan Africa. The years of dramatic discovery related to HIV enjoyed one of the most promising moments in the mid-1990s when it was confirmed that with the use of a combination of anti-retroviral medications, HIV infection could be treated – bringing hope that HIV infection would not inevitably lead to premature death.

DESPAIR

But the reality of the next phase of the pandemic turned out to be anything but hopeful. By the end of 1997, it was estimated that 30 million people were infected with HIV. Enthusiasm about the promise of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) was blunted by the reality of the exorbitant cost of these regimes. The rate of new infections was dramatically higher than the number of people that could be started on treatment each year. The world began to come to grips with the devastating social and economic impact that the pandemic would have – especially in the parts of the world that are most severely affected by HIV. The earliest years of the 21st century were a time of deep despair for those familiar with the unprecedented atrocities caused by the global spread of this infection.

However, on the topic of seasons of despair, a very wise man said: “Often, the most discouraging moments are precisely the time to launch an initiative.  At such times people are searching for a way out of their dilemma.” Those remarkable words come from the autobiography of Nelson Mandela – who celebrated his 94th birthday this week!

Thus it happens that in this period of despair, many new initiatives were launched in an effort to find a way out of the dilemma caused by AIDS. In fact, the Give a Day movement was launched in 2004 when Canadians concerned about HIV were literally in the depths of despair. It turned out to be a great time indeed to launch a new idea about how Canadians could respond to the pandemic. My personal response to potential despair has always been the impulse to take action.

DETERMINATION

Now we look back on almost the past decade to see that great progress has indeed been made. Remarkably there are now more than 8 million people living with HIV who are receiving antiretroviral therapy in low- and middle-income countries. Today on the eve of the 19th International AIDS Conference, there is great enthusiasm once again that the end of AIDS is in sight. The determination to address the pandemic echoes far and wide. The extraordinary Dr. Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank said very clearly this week that “we can end this epidemic”! Interestingly, he goes on from there to talk about using the lessons from the AIDS response to build the systems necessary to address other massive global problems such as poverty and hunger.

We have to maintain the momentum of this determination if we are going to see the end of AIDS. It is not impossible. The science exists. As always our greatest needs are social mobilization plus public infrastructure plus political will. Let us determine together to gather those ingredients so that AIDS will indeed be defeated!

 

 

In pursuit of a dream: 11 reasons to give

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Let’s wrap up Give a Day 2011 with 11 outstanding reasons to give. Follow these links to read on…

Reason #11 GIVE For the 34 million people living with HIV

HIV is treatable and preventable.  No one should die because of AIDS. Give a Day donations help work toward a world without AIDS.

Reason #10 GIVE As an expression of our united will

Dr Danyaal Raza describes the power of the combined voice of those who give.  It is about more than the money. Dr Raza reviews our need to speak up on the topic of HIV/AIDS “to effect lasting change at a time when the fight against HIV/AIDS is at a turning point.”

Reason #9 GIVE To eliminate new HIV infections among children by 2015

11-year-old Nigerian Ebube Sylvia Taylor, writes “No child should be born with HIV; no child should be an orphan because of HIV; no child should die due to lack of access to treatment.” Through support of community-based responses to HIV, Give a Day donations will help realize this essential goal.

Reason #8 GIVE To promote awareness and decrease stigma associated with HIV

Give a Day is a learning organization. There is always more to learn about HIV. The more we learn, the less we can be confused and misled by stereotypes and stigma.  Learning together opens our minds to see life from new perspectives and can help us to care for one another more effectively.

Reason #7 GIVE Because millions need antiretroviral treatment NOW!

Dr Tim O’Shea describes his work in Uganda and describes the contrast between impressive progress in the distribution of life-saving ARV treatment and the remaining reality of millions who still lack treatment “largely for the lack of funds.”

Reason #6 GIVE To support innovative action-oriented HIV research

Smart research is one of the reasons community-based HIV programs become more effective every year to enhance treatment and prevention.

Reason #5 GIVE To light a fire

Give a Day is about even more than giving and learning.  A good education leads to action. William Butler Yeats, the Irish poet (and later politician), said “Education is not filling a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” We want to light a fire through Give a Day.  We want that fire to burn brightly, to show a vision of a new and better future for the people and places affected by HIV.

Reason #4 GIVE To demonstrate a spirit of solidarity

If you look through the Give a Day blog posts, you see people from many sectors of society who have joined in the effort.  Here are young lawyers in Ottawa showing that they care and challenging their peers to give generously.

Reason #3 GIVE To maintain hope for a better world

Hundreds of high school students became involved with the Give a Day campaign this year, through not-so-trivial contests, speeches, donation-drives and ribbons of hope.  Young people are inherently hopeful.  May their hopes be realized for a better and healthier world.

Reason #2 GIVE To work toward a world without AIDS

Dr Winnie Siu reminds us that “an AIDS-free world will one day be achieved through – and only through – the synergy of our collective contributions.”

Reason #1 GIVE Because life slips away

The number one reason we press on is because everyone deserves the opportunity for a long, healthy and meaningful life.

Today is the last day of 2011. Martha Nussbaum says “The pursuit of a dream requires dreamers: educated minds that can think critically about alternatives and imagine an ambitious goal.”  Our ambitious goal is a world without AIDS. If you have not already done so, please give one day’s pay today to make this dream come true.

Because life slips away, would you give a day’s pay today?

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“I shall do this, not because I am noble or unselfish, but because life slips away… Therefore I shall try to do what is right, and to speak what is true.” (Alan Paton, “Cry, the beloved country”)

Let’s start with the bottom line:  I believe it is right to care about HIV.

I’m not generally predisposed to bouts of melancholy. In fact I’m often accused of being inexplicably optimistic about most endeavours I undertake. But every year, in the closing days of November, as the Founder of Give a Day, I have to fight against a temptation to feel discouraged. Our teams work tirelessly throughout the year doing all that we can with our available resources to broadcast the story of HIV and the havoc it inflicts on the world. But as World AIDS Day approaches, I am fraught with regret that I have not been able to do enough.

This year, my distress is more pervasive than ever. AIDS activists around the globe are responding with shock, despair and anger over news of calamitous cuts to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. Dr Adrienne Chan of Dignitas International writes “I have had a knot in my stomach since the announcement was made official regarding what this means for the 300,000 patients started on antiretroviral therapy in Malawi by the government.” Added to the frustration over the Global Fund cuts is the reality that charitable giving in general remains low among Canadians. Likewise Give a Day donations so far are considerably lower than they were at this time last year.

So why do we persevere with the Give a Day challenge?

We press on because everyone deserves the opportunity to live with health and dignity. We press on because 6.6 million people are now receiving treatment for HIV infection. Give a Day donations contribute to making that number grow. We press on because 1000 babies are born each day with HIV. Those infections can be prevented and treated. Give a Day donations support community organizations that do just that. We press on for countless other reasons, whether backed by statistics or simply pleas for social justice. But it all comes down to this. It is right to care about HIV. And Give a Day is a good way to show that we care.

I appeal to you today, World AIDS Day 2011, to continue the good work we are doing together. Would you please take the time to make a donation to support people and places affected by HIV?  Our recommended recipients are the Stephen Lewis Foundation and Dignitas International.

Life slips away. Would you please give a day’s pay today?

“We need the best of many – not of just a few… We must strive for excellence.”

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Stephen Lewis, Jane Philpott, James Fraser

This morning Stephen Lewis was the keynote speaker at our Hot Talks event.  After his powerful address, I asked the audience to do 3 things: donate, educate, activate.

The 1st goal – to donate – is the most measurable and perhaps the simplest step to take. The results are priceless. Clearly one of the essential aims of the campaign is to raise money for great recipient organizations – the Stephen Lewis Foundation and Dignitas International.

A 2nd goal of Give a Day (GAD) is to educate or “raise awareness” about HIV in the world. And this actually thrills me as much as our fund-raising success.  We keep people talking about important global social issues related to the theme of HIV. Give a Day educates us. And education is so critical – it’s what GK Chesterton calls the “soul of a society”.

Beyond GAD’s challenge to donate & educate is a 3rd goal – to activate. I hope GAD will inspire you to do even more than giving and learning.  A good education leads inevitably to action. Wm Butler Yeats, the Irish poet (and later politician), said “Education is not filling a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” I want to light a fire with this campaign.  And I’d like that fire to burn brightly, to show a vision of a new and better future for the people and places affected by HIV.

48 years ago today, I was a toddler living in snowy Winnipeg Manitoba. On this day 48 years ago, my mother was in our Winnipeg kitchen making a 3-year-old birthday cake for me. Her work was interrupted when she heard on the television that President John F Kennedy had been shot. For our society, it remains one of the most memorable days in modern history. A great man and incomparable leader had his life brutally cut short.  I think about the Kennedy family each year on November 22. I wish I had known the parents of John F Kennedy.  I often wonder: what were the ingredients that inspired the Kennedy siblings to be such leaders – lights and fires – for their generation? But they did more than just lead themselves; they called on others to take up the tasks of the day.  Less than four weeks after President Kennedy was shot, his brother Bobby wrote a new Foreword for a memorial edition of John’s book “Profiles in Courage”. The words written by Bobby Kennedy 48 years ago are relevant to our task today:

“The energies and talents of all of us are needed to meet the challenges – the internal ones of our cities, our farms, ourselves – to be successful in the fight for freedom around the globe, in the battles against illiteracy, hunger and disease.  Pleasantries, self-sustained mediocrity will serve us badly. We need the best of many – not of just a few. We must strive for excellence.”

I like to emphasize this point after Stephen Lewis speaks because his matchless speaking skills can be a little intimidating. Even in a confident crowd, many of us may feel inadequate and ill-equipped in comparison.  But it takes more than the actions of Stephen Lewis to combat the forces that propagate the AIDS pandemic. What did Bobby Kennedy say? We need the best of many – not of just of few. We must all strive for excellence. Strive is an action verb. To strive means to put your whole & considerable force behind this effort.

I hope you are already quite convinced that we should do our part to address the realities of HIV in the world. If so, you are not alone. Let us donate. Let us educate. And let us activate all the resources within our reach to strive together toward a world without AIDS.

What does “solidarity” mean to you?

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Last year, a group of Give a Day (GAD) volunteers gathered to discuss the essence of the GAD movement and to think about how we could describe it in a few words.  After talking about why we “give a day”, we came up with the tagline, “Global solidarity – Local solutions”.

Since then, I hear that the word “solidarity” causes some confusion and misunderstanding.  What do you think of the word “solidarity”?

Some of us are old enough to remember the mass protest in Poland in 1980 under the leadership of Lech Walesa.  The movement took the name “Solidarity” to describe its demands for the right to form a free trade union and the right to strike. Our use of the word “solidarity” is better explained in another way.

To me, solidarity is the deepest expression of community spirit.  Solidarity is very closely connected to the concept of “Ubuntu”, an African philosophy that has been translated: “I am what I am because of who we all are.”

Solidarity reminds me of the concept of “collective efficacy” which is well described in Helen Epstein’s book, “The Invisible Cure”. Epstein’s book reviews the common features of communities who have most successfully worked together to respond to HIV. She notes:

The key to their success resided in something for which the public health field currently has no name or program.  It is best described as a sense of solidarity, compassion, and mutual aid that brings people together to solve a common problem that individuals can’t solve on their own.  The closest thing to it might be Harvard sociologist Felton Earls’s concept of “collective efficacy” meaning the capacity of people to come together and help others they are not necessarily related to.

In the scientific world, an object is solid if the particles within it are very closely bound together.  So if we as a global community are “solid”, it means that we move together.  What affects one of us affects all of us. This evokes the classic quote of Dr Martin Luther King Jr who said:

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.

Let me know what “solidarity” means to you.  If I knew that the “solidarity” tagline caused more confusion than inspiration, then perhaps it should be reviewed.  But until then, I’d say it well describes the sentiment behind why I give a day.

Will you join us in an act of pragmatic global solidarity?

Do you want to help now? If so…

Around December 1, I hope many will give a day’s pay in recognition of World AIDS Day.

Here are some other ways you can help…

  1. Share this. Tweet this.
  2. Follow us on Twitter.
  3. Like us on Facebook.
  4. Join our mailing list.
  5. Engage your community or workplace in a Give a Day campaign.
  6. Plan a harambee.
  7. Leave a response and let us know what you think!

What’s a primary care doctor like me doing in a vertical response like this?

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If you’re involved in primary health care or global health, you may have heard that primary care is all about “horizontal” programs.  Those of us who live and breathe the wonders of primary care regularly cite the benefits of health care that is broad and comprehensive. We even point to evidence that shows how a focus on primary care results in better health outcomes at lower costs that is more equitable and accessible.

I believe in the benefits of primary care with all my heart, soul and mind.

So how can I simultaneously devote so much time and energy to something like GAD that seems clearly based on “vertical” interventions focused on a single issue like HIV?  What a good question!

Well, my first line of defence would declare that even a dedicated primary care doctor can recognize that there must sometimes be an exceptional emphasis on certain issues.  HIV is one of these. I remember former UNAIDS Director, Dr Peter Piot, who repeatedly declared the exceptional nature of HIV. That always resonated with me. HIV is exceptional because of the sheer numbers of people affected.  (By this measure, other illnesses such as tuberculosis would also qualify as exceptional.) HIV is exceptional because, more than almost any other infection, its spread is driven by the social determinants of health (economy, education, gender). Piot used to describe how HIV has “revealed the fault lines of society”.

But my other line of defence in any accusation about the validity of focusing on a vertical program comes from recognition that solving the problem of HIV in the world requires the very essence of what primary care is all about.

Addressing HIV requires public infrastructure and strong health systems along with broad-based educational and economic solutions.

Countries, regions and communities that have successfully reigned in the impact of HIV have done so through great public health systems with the aid of excellent primary care.

Gregg Gonsalves said this in Mexico in 2008:  Without continuing sustained focus on AIDS treatment, many millions of the poorest and most marginalized people in the world will die, period. And without breadth, not only will AIDS treatment be incomplete, but we will miss the greatest opportunity in history to build functioning health systems in some of the poorest countries of the world.

Finally, the organizations to which GAD recommends donations (Stephen Lewis Foundation and Dignitas International), do their remarkable work for people affected by HIV at the community level using the very principles on which primary care depends (including engaged communities and patient-centered care).

So I will continue to advocate on behalf of those affect by HIV. I will continue to ask everyone to give a day’s pay on World AIDS Day (December 1) in response to the exceptional issue of HIV.

As we address HIV we must use the principles of primary care to build the public health capacity that will have lasting impact on the communities most severely affected by this scourge.

What do you think? If you believe in primary care, will you join me in recognizing World AIDS Day by giving one day’s pay to one of GAD’s recommended recipients?

And while you’re at it, here’s how you can help now!

  1. Join us in giving one day’s pay on World AIDS Day, December 1!
  2. Share this. Tweet this.
  3. Follow us on Twitter.
  4. Like us on Facebook.
  5. Join our mailing list.
  6. Engage your community or workplace in a GAD campaign.
  7. Plan a harambee.
  8. Leave us a comment, a question or a note of encouragement.

If you had a thousand dollars…

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Recently a kind relative gave $1000 to each of our kids (aged 21, 19, 16 and 10) with the directions that it was to be donated to a cause of their choice.

This started a long and interesting discussion about what cause each would like to support.  Some of the options they considered were the Canadian Cancer Society, the Ontario Rett Syndrome Association, the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health, or the Mennonite Central Committee work to provide food aid for Somalia.

The Globe and Mail has a fantastic special feature this week with some excellent articles about how philanthropy can be both smart and good.

It’s a big deal to donate $1000.  You need to know it will be well spent.  Around December 1 (World AIDS Day) lots of Canadians make donations of one day’s pay.  For some, the amount turns out to be $80 or $100.  For some it is $1000 or more! How do these people know their donation will be well used?

Give a Day (GAD) recommends 2 great recipients and I personally give to them for a variety of reasons.

I believe my money will be well used by Stephen Lewis Foundation and Dignitas International because:

  1. I know and trust their leaders.
  2. I’ve watched them grow from small Canadian organizations responding to HIV.  They have held true to their original purpose, values and approach.
  3. I know the money gets to the people who need it.  I’ve visited some of the projects supported by the Stephen Lewis Foundation and talked to the women and families who are recipients of support.
  4. I know how much they need my support to fulfil their mandate. For all our hard work, it is still a struggle to raise money for the cause of HIV.  We cannot lessen our advocacy for this cause.

I’m delighted that my children can make a contribution this year to a cause of their choice.

Around December 1, I hope many will give generously in recognition of World AIDS Day.

How about you? How can you help now?

  1. Share this. Tweet this.
  2. Follow us on Twitter.
  3. Like us on Facebook.
  4. Join our mailing list.
  5. Engage your community or workplace in a GAD campaign.
  6. Plan a harambee.
  7. Leave us a comment, a question or a note of encouragement.

A life of dignity and determination

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I wept deeply today when I heard the news of the passing of the incomparable Winstone Zulu.  My only solace was the fact that I had the privilege of knowing this marvellous person.

The photo here was taken on Christmas Day 2008 when Winstone shared Christmas dinner with our family.  He is pictured here with our niece Abby.  Abby has Rett Syndrome.  She is full of life – a gorgeous, charming girl with a challenging genetic condition such that she cannot talk and has great difficulty with walking.

Winstone was so drawn to Abby.  They shared an instant bond. They were 2 beautiful souls, each making the world a more wonderful place, contributing without reservation, undaunted by physical limitations.

Winstone contracted polio at the age of 3 and lived with residual disabilities the rest of his life.  Since 1990, he was living with HIV.  In 1997, he was critically ill with tuberculosis.

Four of Winstone’s brothers died of tuberculosis.  He has known more grief and tragedy than anyone should have to endure. But his response to this pain was to dedicate his life to the service of others.  He was the first person in Zambia to publicly declare that he was HIV positive.  He spent the last 20 years trying to bring the world’s attention to the double-edged global crises of HIV and tuberculosis.

When Give a Day started in 2004, the first $33,000 in donations from doctors at Markham Stouffville Hospital were given to the Stephen Lewis Foundation and went to support the Ranchod Hospice inspired by Winstone Zulu.

I am heartbroken to realize that Winstone has now succumbed to the illnesses that beset him. It leaves me more determined than ever to share his story and take up his causes.

This is indeed a world torn by pain.  There are too many people like Winstone Zulu and my wonderful niece Abby who face challenges that they do not deserve. Yet somehow they manage to smile.  They struggle to put one foot in front of the other and press on.  They forge ahead with dignity and determination.  And the world is a much finer place for those of us who love them and learn from them.

Surprising lessons from the unplanned conception of Give a Day

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It wasn’t meant to happen. 

When the idea of Give a Day (GAD) was conceived in 2004, it was never meant to grow into a powerful movement raising half a million dollars a year to support people affected by HIV.  But GAD was born – with a beating heart, a compassionate soul and legs to make it move. 
And so GAD has grown and in its short life has raised $3 million in donations to great organizations like the Stephen Lewis Foundation and Dignitas International.

Here’s what I’ve learned along the way:

1.       Canadians (and presumably others) really want to act out their concern about HIV

GAD appeals to a sense of empathy that is in us all.  The story of AIDS is not a single story but collectively it is a human story.  Few of us could be unmoved by the thought of 14 million orphans who have lost their parents to AIDS.  Lack of compassion is not the problem. But knowing how to respond can be difficult. GAD has been an objective advisor for donors.  GAD organizers don’t work for any of the recommended recipient organizations.  But we’ve looked around enough to know where donor dollars will be well spent.

2.       Simple is beautiful

Not everyone has the time or resources to raise money by running a marathon or climbing a mountain. But lots of us would give up one day or our time on behalf of people affected by HIV.  That’s the simple question behind GAD:  Would you give up one day if you knew it could make a difference?  Sure you would. That’s the GAD plan.  Around December 1, World AIDS Day, I give the equivalent of the money I would make in one day and I give it to an organization I trust to benefit people affected by HIV.

3.       Lawyers (and other Canadians) are generous and compassionate!

Does everyone know that lawyers are such a generous bunch? GAD owes its success to multiple factors – but it would never be what it is today without the energy and ambition of the legal community. Several law firms have shared the GAD challenge and some of them have raised over $100,000 per year. When business partners and employees have shared the GAD story, reached into their pockets and shown that they care, the response has been priceless.

4.       GAD thrives on both collaboration and competition

Lots of people give generously to support charitable organizations.  But we especially love to do it in community. GAD thrives when workplaces and communities combine forces to raise awareness and money. I love it when the Riverdale community in Toronto has a “Wine & Cheese Harambee” or team of articling students arranges “Give a Night” to bring profile to the issue of HIV and raise money while they’re at it.

But GAD also benefits from our natural competitive nature. Hospital groups and law firms alike have tried to outdo their peers in raising the most money.  Who can out-give the best givers?

5.       This baby needs nurturing

For all its natural potential and organic nature, GAD needs perpetual nurturing to fulfil its potential.  I have observed the “issue-attention cycle” and the reality of donor fatigue. Complex, longstanding challenges like the HIV pandemic will not be resolved overnight. Survival of the GAD movement requires reminders that the drivers of the HIV pandemic are not easily resolved and our ongoing support is essential.

6.       We can’t stop now!

It’s easy to get discouraged and feel like the hurdles are insurmountable. But the task of addressing HIV has become “the most ambitious public health undertaking of our lifetimes” (Gonsalves). And what’s more? We’re actually winning! When GAD started in 2004, only 400,000 people were receiving anti-retroviral medication. There are now over 6 million people on such life-saving medications and a cure for HIV is actively being pursued. We must never give up.

I still have a dream that the GAD movement will spread around the world. Please join us in our efforts.

How can you help now?

  1. Share this. Tweet this.
  2. Plan now to give one day’s pay on World AIDS Day, December 1.
  3. Follow us on Twitter.
  4. Like us on Facebook.
  5. Join our mailing list.
  6. Engage your community or workplace in a GAD campaign.
  7. Plan a harambee.
  8. Leave us a comment, a question or a note of encouragement.