August 8, 2003

AIDS Action Joins AIDS Responsibility Project’s Official Trip to Africa

(Washington, DC) Marsha A. Martin, executive director of AIDS Action will be joining the AIDS Responsibility Project and a delegation of congressional and administration officials, including the members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, on a week-long trip to three countries in Africa—South Africa, Botswana, and Uganda. While in these countries, the group will engage in briefings and meetings with state officials and in country U.S. government representatives. They will also observe HIV prevention and treatment efforts on the ground.

On learning of this opportunity, Ronald Johnson, associate executive director of the Gay Men’s Health Crisis and the chair of the AIDS Action Council Board said, “Participation in this trip will be an excellent opportunity for AIDS Action to contribute to discussions on HIV/AIDS issues with key U.S. government officials, and I feel strongly that it is in the interest of the U.S. AIDS community that AIDS Action participates. This is especially true while HIV rates are increasing in our country among certain populations.”

South Africa, Botswana, and Uganda are all included in the new U.S. global AIDS plan, which AIDS Action has urged Congress to fully fund. Although AIDS Action is known for its work on national rather than international policy, Martin pointed out, “Domestic HIV/AIDS policy can’t be separated from global HIV/AIDS policy. “This trip,” she continued, “will assist AIDS Action in identifying issues of common concern to all people living with HIV/AIDS and the organizations that serve them.” Ken Malone, executive director of the Assistance Fund and treasurer of the AIDS Action Council added, “The trip to Africa will allow AIDS Action to see where the funding is intended to go after the global bill gets appropriated. It will also give AIDS Action the chance to speak with and learn from the people who will be its beneficiaries.”

The trip’s participants will depart this evening, Friday, August 8, 2003 and will return to Washington, DC on Monday, August 18.

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.