Helping+the+Cause

Helping the Cause

Even though HIV/ AIDS is a huge problem around the world, there are many foundations and organizations that are dedicated to alleviate suffering due to AIDS, administer drugs that will help those infected to live longer, and prevent the spread of AIDS. Luckily, there are so many of these organizations present today, that to speak about all of them, ten more websites would be needed. To outline some of the most well-known and charitable foundations and what they do to 'help the cause', a brief summary of three major AIDS organizations and events are discussed:

**UNAIDS:** UNAIDS is a programme created in 1996 as a subsection of the United Nations, with the goal of strengthening the way in which the United Nations responded to AIDS. Because the United Nations has representatives from the majority of the nations in the world, UNAIDS is considered one of the largest organizations helping to alleviate AIDS. Among other things UNAIDS is working toward reducing sexual transmission and transmission through shared needles, as well as the rights for women and children and administration of drugs. Currently, the main goal of the UNAIDS is to eliminate new HIV infections amongst children by 2015. The UNAIDS council recently met in New York City in 2011 to discuss this goal. To learn more about the conference, check out the link and/or video below: ** [|UNAIDS goal for 2015] **

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**Right here in Canada ; The Stephen Lewis Foundation**



Stephen Lewis is a Canadian politician and diplomate who has worked in the United Nations for nearly twenty years. In 2003, he created the Stephen Lewis Foundation, a community based organization that tries to alleviate the problems of AIDS in Africa at the grass-roots level. Currently, over 700 initiatives have been funded by the foundation in more than 300 community level organizations in 15 African countries. An underlying principle within this foundation is gender equality between men and women. Because of this, the Stephen Lewis Foundation helps in particular, grandmothers who must care for their grandkids because of the death of their parents, children, and sexual abuse. A large part of the spread of HIV in Africa is due to the sexual abuse that women encounter, and this Canadian foundation sees that and tries to reverse it.

To read a four page article written by Mr. Stephen Lewis himself and published in the Globe and Mail, visit the first link: To see videos of the foundation's cases and accomplishments, click the second link, which will produce a page full of these videos: [|Turning the Tide] [|Videos]

**World AIDS Day** World AIDS day is celebrated around the world every year on December 1. The main purpose of this day is to raise awareness for the AIDS pandemic and recognize developments in the AIDS history such as better access to medication and more prevention facilities. The first World AIDS day occurred in 1989, and up until 2004, any type of campaigning was controlled by UNAIDS. In 2004, however, the World AIDS Campaign's Global Steering Committee took over and began creating themes for the World AIDS day. To show their support, each year people around the world wear red ribbons and donate to the World AIDS Campaign. In addition, they can learn about HIV facts, prevention, real stories, and meet people who have coped with the virus.

See the video below made for World AIDS Day, which also talks about the AIDS timeline:

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