How You Can Help!
You may have seen recent news coverage of the administration’s proposed budget, which includes proposed cuts to U.S. government funding of AIDS treatment programs, including to PEPFAR, which has enjoyed strong bipartisan support since its founding in 2003. GAIA responded last week with this Huffington Post op-ed, and today with a press release. Cutting funding for AIDS treatment in this moment would be tragic. We stand at a historic time when ending AIDS is within reach, thanks largely to PEPFAR and The Global Fund and efforts to make medications widely available in the developing world. In fact, the UNAIDS global strategy to end AIDS by 2030 – the 90-90-90 HIV treatment targets — requires not just maintaining current funding and treatment levels, but actually increasing the number of people on treatment. That means the deadliest epidemic in human history – nearly under control– will come roaring back if medication and other programs are under-funded. In other words, these cuts would not just stall progress, they would actually spark a massive re-emergence of HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths around the world.
We need your help to ensure that funding for AIDS treatment is maintained or increased (click link below for toolkit of materials):
1. Call your Congressperson and tell them you want AIDS funding maintained or increased.
2. Post GAIA’s sharable graphic on social media.
3. Use the press release template, customized with your logo (foundation, church, nonprofit, business) and other details in the highlighted blanks, distribute to your local news media, newsletter, blogs, email lists, or any other way you might think to distribute.
Click here for a toolkit to help with these three actions!
Thanks for standing by GAIA as we work to end the AIDS epidemic.
Todd Schafer
GAIA President & CEO
