Day 44 - HIV/AIDS Advocates

Wendy, Laurèn, Faven, Yohannes and Ward (photographer) in Harar, Ethiopia, with family.

Social media was abuzz yesterday with #World AIDS Day. Celebrities, talk show hosts, past politicians, magazines, and athletes revealed what they are doing to make a difference. There were concerts and contests, statements and stories, and products and promotions. What an opportunity we have to become involved in something that really CAN change the world for future generations. 

“Every generation is known for something. Let's be the one to deliver an AIDS FREE GENERATION.” (RED)

I think that HIV/AIDS still feels very far away. It is true that an estimated two-thirds of the world’s HIV-positive population lives in Africa. Most of us will never go to Africa.

I have been there four times. 

The orphan crisis in sub-Saharan Africa IS a direct result of HIV/AIDS. The demographic most affected is adults between the ages of 15 & 49. Let’s make sure that the next generation of children has parents who can love them, and raise them with the richness of culture, religion, and language, in the country best suited to their needs. 

I am inspired by those who choose to stand up in support of, or against something—and take a risk. As you look through some of the many stories, please consider making a donation, in lieu of a gift, to one of the many organizations doing this amazing and necessary work. 

When Elizabeth Taylor was asked why she became involved so early in the HIV epidemic, this is what she said:

“I kept seeing all these news reports on this new disease and kept asking myself why no one was doing anything. And then I realized that I was just like them. I wasn’t doing anything to help.” In 1985, Elizabeth Taylor joined with a group of doctors and scientists to form the American Foundation for AIDS Research, or what is now commonly known as amfAR. 

The U2 front man and rock legend Bono founded the (RED) Foundation in 2006 with Bobby Shriver to engage millions of people from around the world in the fight against HIV and AIDS in Africa. "Together we've raised 325 MILLION dollars, and impacted 60 MILLION lives." 

President Bill Clinton has spent much time post-presidency fighting the AIDS epidemic in Africa and around the world. He has shown almost a singular focus on raising awareness and delivering aid through the Clinton Global Initiative and has taken multiple trips to a number of countries across Africa, working to post nurses in rural clinics in various countries, deliver medicines to people who need them, and send experts to train hospital workers throughout the continent.  

Annie Lennox brings passion and tenacity to everything she does, and her work in HIV activism is no different. The vocal powerhouse has championed many causes and is a celebrated social activist who has worked tirelessly to give a voice to women and children living with HIV in Africa and throughout the world. The U.N. ambassador launched the SING campaign, which works to raise support for HIV-positive women and children in Southern Africa.

Sir Elton John has always been outspoken, which is why he wasn’t afraid to fight HIV and AIDS in a time when many celebrities were afraid to be attached to the disease. In 1992 he founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which supports HIV prevention, education, and supports people living with HIV.

Nelson Mandela's most significant contribution to the fight against Aids may have been at the international Aids conference in Durban in July 2000. The meeting had become a rally of those who wanted life-saving treatment for Africans with HIV. The powerful speeches of Edwin Cameron*, a judge with HIV, and a small boy called Nkosi Johnson, who died a couple of years later, brought it to the world's attention. Mandela closed the meeting with a speech that changed the Aids agenda. He said, this is “the one event where every word uttered, every gesture made, has to be measured against the effect it can and will have on the lives of millions of real human beings all over this continent and planet".

*Edwin Cameron article in The Guardian, Dec. 1, 2015

“Care for us and accept us – we are all human beings,” Nkosi said at the conclusion of his speech. “We are normal. We have hands. We have feet. We can walk, we can talk, we have needs just like everyone else. Don’t be afraid of us – we are all the same.” 

Nkosi Johnson

NBA superstar Magic Johnson announced that he was HIV positive in 1991 and has since become an outstanding advocate for safe sex and for others living with HIV. His courageous announcement of his HIV status helped to end the widespread stereotype that HIV was a "gay disease" about which heterosexuals need not worry.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s goal is to significantly reduce the incidence of HIV infection and extend the lives of people living with HIV.

Wherever she goes, 17-year-old Canadian, Ashley Murphy brings along her strength, courage, and the idea that we have to live life positively—no matter what challenges we are faced with.

Born to parents unable to care for her, Ashley was fighting for her life in the hospital at just six months old. She was born HIV positive, and the condition had developed into AIDS. She was placed into foster care, and her foster parents were told Ashley had just weeks to live. But after taking Ashley home, her health steadily began to improve.

Ashley has been speaking publicly about her condition since age 10, and has spoken at We Day events across Canada, sharing the stage with personalities like Queen Noor of Jordan, Martin Luther King III and Magic Johnson. Ashley’s story has inspired many people around the world, especially others with HIV, with the message that we can all overcome our challenges—and use them to help others.

TEDx Talk 

The Stephen Lewis Foundation works with community-level organizations which are turning the tide of HIV/AIDS in Africa by providing care and support to women, orphaned children, grandmothers and people living with HIV and AIDS.