“Everybody wins†as Uganda, America fight against HIV/AIDS
Nov 30, 2009
WORKING together for the past 25 years, the global community is achieving many successes in the fight against HIV/AIDS that deserve recognition on this World AIDS Day. The World Health Organisation estimates that over four million individuals in low-and m
By Jerry P. Lanier
WORKING together for the past 25 years, the global community is achieving many successes in the fight against HIV/AIDS that deserve recognition on this World AIDS Day.
The World Health Organisation estimates that over four million individuals in low-and middle-income nations currently have access to antiretroviral treatment. And thanks to our many partners, the American people through the US president’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) support, more than half of those men, women and children are on treatment.
As part of our commitment to continuing the fight against HIV/AIDS, the US Mission in Uganda is sponsoring a series of World AIDS Day events that will invite participation from everyone across Uganda — adolescents and parents, men and women. The event is a quiz show with the theme “Everybody wins when we know the facts about HIV and AIDS.†UBC TV will air 10 rounds of the quiz show starting on November 25, with a grand finale on December 1, World AIDS Day.
I will be a contestant on the final show, so I hope you tune in to see how well I compete against your fellow Ugandans.
Then on December 5, we will take the quiz show “Everybody Wins!†to Mbarara for a community-wide event. Some members of the community will be contestants, others will win valuable prizes — but everybody wins with a new World AIDS Day T-shirt and the facts about HIV and AIDS.
The “Everybody Wins†quiz show will then visit Fort Portal on December 8, Gulu on December 12 and Mbale on December 15. Everyone from the community is welcome to attend to get the facts about HIV/AIDS, compete for prizes and have fun.
We cannot succeed in this fight against HIV/AIDS alone, and America is committed to working with our global partners to support Uganda’s leadership in this effort.
Over the next five years, the US will place a renewed emphasis on partnering with Uganda to build Uganda’s national HIV/AIDS response. We will continue to work together with all sectors of Uganda as they craft strategies and programmes to stop HIV/AIDS.
And America will support the Government as it engages international partners, civil society and non-governmental organisations.
PEPFAR will also support Uganda’s leadership as it works to make universal access a reality.
In addition, as part of the US’ Global Health Initiative announced by US president Barack Obama and US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton, PEPFAR will support Uganda as it works to further integrate and expand access to other health care services, such as those that address tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child health and family planning with HIV/AIDS programmes.
As we do this, we must also ensure that the work we do together addresses the human rights challenges that drive the spread of HIV.
PEPFAR is the largest commitment in history by any nation to combat a single disease and the US is unwavering in our commitment to our partner nations.
On World AIDS Day 2009, we recommit ourselves to furthering our achievements and look forward to continuing the fight with Uganda.
I urge the Government to join with us and renew its commitment to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS. And I hope you will participate in our “Everybody Wins!†events throughout December, while renewing your own commitment to keep yourself and your family safe from HIV.
The writer is the Ambassador US Mission Kampala
WORKING together for the past 25 years, the global community is achieving many successes in the fight against HIV/AIDS that deserve recognition on this World AIDS Day.
The World Health Organisation estimates that over four million individuals in low-and middle-income nations currently have access to antiretroviral treatment. And thanks to our many partners, the American people through the US president’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) support, more than half of those men, women and children are on treatment.
As part of our commitment to continuing the fight against HIV/AIDS, the US Mission in Uganda is sponsoring a series of World AIDS Day events that will invite participation from everyone across Uganda — adolescents and parents, men and women. The event is a quiz show with the theme “Everybody wins when we know the facts about HIV and AIDS.†UBC TV will air 10 rounds of the quiz show starting on November 25, with a grand finale on December 1, World AIDS Day.
I will be a contestant on the final show, so I hope you tune in to see how well I compete against your fellow Ugandans.
Then on December 5, we will take the quiz show “Everybody Wins!†to Mbarara for a community-wide event. Some members of the community will be contestants, others will win valuable prizes — but everybody wins with a new World AIDS Day T-shirt and the facts about HIV and AIDS.
The “Everybody Wins†quiz show will then visit Fort Portal on December 8, Gulu on December 12 and Mbale on December 15. Everyone from the community is welcome to attend to get the facts about HIV/AIDS, compete for prizes and have fun.
We cannot succeed in this fight against HIV/AIDS alone, and America is committed to working with our global partners to support Uganda’s leadership in this effort.
Over the next five years, the US will place a renewed emphasis on partnering with Uganda to build Uganda’s national HIV/AIDS response. We will continue to work together with all sectors of Uganda as they craft strategies and programmes to stop HIV/AIDS.
And America will support the Government as it engages international partners, civil society and non-governmental organisations.
PEPFAR will also support Uganda’s leadership as it works to make universal access a reality.
In addition, as part of the US’ Global Health Initiative announced by US president Barack Obama and US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton, PEPFAR will support Uganda as it works to further integrate and expand access to other health care services, such as those that address tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child health and family planning with HIV/AIDS programmes.
As we do this, we must also ensure that the work we do together addresses the human rights challenges that drive the spread of HIV.
PEPFAR is the largest commitment in history by any nation to combat a single disease and the US is unwavering in our commitment to our partner nations.
On World AIDS Day 2009, we recommit ourselves to furthering our achievements and look forward to continuing the fight with Uganda.
I urge the Government to join with us and renew its commitment to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS. And I hope you will participate in our “Everybody Wins!†events throughout December, while renewing your own commitment to keep yourself and your family safe from HIV.
The writer is the Ambassador US Mission Kampala