April 7, 2003

AIDS Action To Host Meetings between U.S. Leadership and African Religious and Faith-Community Leaders

(Washington, DC) On Wednesday, April 9, AIDS Action will host a series of meetings between religious and faith community leaders from five African countries and leaders in the Bush Administration and Congress.

The 36 African leaders, representing communities in the Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, wish to thank U.S. leaders in person for supporting efforts to curb HIV/AIDS in African countries that have been hard-hit by the pandemic. The U.S. leaders with whom they will meet include Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN); Kimberly T. Konkel, associate director of the Department of Health and Human Services Center for Faith-based and Community Initiatives; Ranking Member of the Africa Subcommittee Donald Payne; Representative Barbara Lee, chair of Health Braintrust and member of the International HIV/AIDS Task Force; and Delegate Donna Christensen, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and Health Braintrust member.

In addition, the African leaders hope to express their thanks to President Bush. In the face of strong party opposition, President Bush had the foresight and wisdom to withhold application of the Mexico City Policy in his HIV/AIDS Global Initiative. The policy would have prohibited HIV/AIDS funding to organizations that offered abortion services along with HIV/AIDS services. On a continent where health care services are often offered on a tightly-integrated basis, the policy would have weakened Africa’s efforts against the HIV pandemic.

AIDS Action, in partnership with the Balm-In-Gilead, will also sponsor a reception for the visiting dignitaries, which will be hosted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, at 1330 G Street, NW in Washington, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8.

The African leaders’ visit to the capital is part of the HIV/AIDS Training Institute, a six-week training by the Balm-In-Gilead, an AIDS Action board-member organization, whose mission is to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS throughout the African Diaspora. The training is designed to give participants the skills to mobilize and empower their respective countries’ religious and faith communities to create a climate that will support the delivery of effective AIDS education and services.

AIDS Action Foundation strives to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic by working for public policies that promote prevention against new infections, provide care for people already living with HIV/AIDS, and support the search for a cure. AIDS Action is the national voice of all people living with HIV, representing community based organizations across the country.