|  AIDS
Ambassadors
The
aim of this project is to build the capacity of PLWHA, enabling
them to disclose their status and become active members
in relieving stigma and discrimination.
By changing
beliefs and behaviours through education and the Ambassadors
personal testimonies they help shape societal attitudes
and behaviours. This creates a more positive caring environment
for PLWHA and everyone to live in and encourages others
to get tested and PLWHA to share their HIV positive status
This
program is comprised of two parts; training and outreach.
Training
PIAF selects people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and trains
them about their condition and issues that relate to it,
including treatment, legalities and counseling. Trainees
use both their knowledge from the workshop and own experience
to strengthen their speaking capacity. They build up their
ability and confidence to prepare them for media contact
and disclosure in the public eye.
Outreach
The training workshop is a pre-requisite to becoming an
AIDS Ambassador. With the successful completion of training
the participants can become AIDS Ambassadors and access
financial support if they conduct a minimum of 2 sessions
per week.
Ambassadors
carry out sessions to any member or society who requests
their intervention. From youth to leaders, sports clubs,
schools, churches, businesses, literally anyone! They convey
information about HIV/AIDS and share their personal stories
with the audiences.
Your
donation to this program will go to training costs and/or
ambassador allowances which covers the outreach Ambassadors
living and travel expenses.
Trust Fund for Medication
In the
Pacific Island region about 8,000 people are known to have
HIV/AIDS. Papua New Guinea (PNG) makes up over 7,000 of
these cases. The numbers are increasing as you are reading
this!
Apart
from the American and French territories Pacific Islanders
do not have access to lifesaving Anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs.
ARV
drugs do not cure the virus, but prevents the reproduction
of the virus in the blood, therefore keeping the immune
system strong. Without these drugs people are sentenced
to an early death within 3-10 years from infection.
ARV drugs allow people to avoid this and bring hope into
their lives.
Two-thirds
of the world do not have access to these drugs, even though
the prices have come down in the past few years, it is still
too high for most to afford. PIAF is seeking opportunities
to negotiate those prices down for the Pacific Island region
and has joined many international campaigns on the matter.
PIAF is seeking all the opportunities for funding and assistance
that could make ARV drugs available for the people living
in our islands.
Therefore
PIAF has set up a Trust Fund to mobilize individual/corporate/
group assistance and is using this website to make that
call and action to enable free ARV access to Pacific Islanders.
Mothers, husbands and children who otherwise will die can
be saved with just $150USD a month.
Please
give as much as you can, or even a little. Each donation
matters and every dollar counts towards saving a life.
Communications
The
Pacific Islands AIDS Foundation produces many radio/television
ads and programs, as well as documentary films. These productions
all convey the Foundation’s goals and beliefs to the
public through these dynamic mediums. Using PLWHA as the
‘stars’ of these productions the messages are
powerful and reach a wide number of people and places.
Examples are:
- Maire
documentary - a powerful account of our CEO learning she
had AIDS.
- Breakfast
with Mandela documentary - Maire Bopp’s visit
with Mandela in South Africa to discuss HIV/AIDS.
- Positive
Lives radio show-audio recordings of participants
of the first AIDS Ambassadors training sharing their personal
testimonies of discovering and living with HIV/AIDS.
-
Various radio and television advertisements
to encourage awareness, end stigma and to get people tested.
Condoms for PLWHA
Condoms
are so far the only guaranteed protection but only if they
are used properly.
PIAF
believes in other principles, such as abstinence and faithfulness,
but nevertheless statistics show that out of 40 million
people who are today living with HIV/AIDS worldwide 20 million
are women, and 80% of those women contracted the virus from
their own husband or regular partner. Therefore PIAF is
forced to acknowledge the necessity of quality condom usage.
Nevertheless,
one of the biggest problems is the lack of availability
and accessibility to quality condoms.
Under
our mandate to improve the quality of life for PLWHA, PIAF
aims to relive this obstacle for HIV positive people. We
seek to help resolve this issue for PLWHA because using
a condom not only stops the transmission of the virus to
your partner; it avoids an over-infection of HIV.
PIAF
can now purchase quality condoms at 20¢ per condom.
We are aiming for a stock of 300,000 condoms a year.
Help us to create positive living for PLWHA by making available
to them free quality condoms.
Hardship Grant
The
purpose of the Hardship Grant is to provide a meaningful
and possibly sustainable improvement in the quality of the
life of PLWHA who are experiencing cases of hardship.
“Hardship”
is defined as being deprived of the basic necessities to
sustain life which can include, but not be limited to: food,
water, clothing, shelter, sanitation, a mattress to sleep
on as a result of the impact of HIV/AIDS on that person.
PIAF
launched its first Hardship Grant in Fiji last June 2003.
It now wishes to increase this fund and extend it to the
other Pacific Islands. The fund is monitored at the national
level by a Committee made up of public and civil groups
committed to HIV/AIDS and is supervised by PIAF.
Legal Task Force
The
purpose of the Legal Task Force (LTF) is to provide legal
support and advice to the Foundation and all its members
who may be facing difficulties related to the stigma and
discrimination attached to HIV/AIDS. It also aims at providing
guidance to any entities or persons from any background,
or from within Legal institution such as a Court of Justice,
in order to ensure that they set up policies and/or decide
on HIV/AIDS-related matter in a sensitive and well-aware
approach. The LTF operates on a volunteer basis except for
specific actions for which funding may be required.
Core Operations
Donation
here will help PIAF to STAY ALIVE and keep fighting to build
a safer and friendlier environment!
General
With
a general donation your money will be placed where it is
most needed.
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