NAPWA

Immediate Attention: Crisis in Haiti

JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PEOPLE WITH AIDS IN THIS URGENT RESPONSE TO THE HUMAN SUFFERING IN HAITI!

The National Association of People with AIDS joins President Obama in making every effort to bring immediate relief to the people of Haiti. For three decades people living with HIV/AIDS have lived and died in monumental suffering in Haiti. All of us have followed this year after year. The present suffering and death in Haiti, as the result of the earthquake, is beyond human imagination. PLEASE JOIN US IN THIS URGENT RESPONSE!

As events unfold, we will keep you informed. We urge you to follow USAID website for updates on this tragedy.  The USAID website is: www.usaid.gov

Please find attached a list of organizations which are dedicated to respond immediately and make your contribution.

AID FOR AIDS International is collecting any ANTIRETROVIRAL, ANTIBIOTICS OR PROPHYLAXIS medication, before the expiration date and preferably sealed bottles.

If you or your organization have medicine to donate, please send it immediately to:

AID for AIDS
120 Wall Street, 26 Floor
New York, N.Y. 10005

Please visit AIDFORAIDS.org for more details.

If you have additional suggestions on how the PLWH/A community can help the people of Haiti, please let us know as soon as possible by calling 240-247-0880.

 

Cleared for Takeoff: What Ending the HIV Travel Ban Means for Black Americans

image_mainIn October 2009 the Obama administration announced its decision to end the ban prohibiting HIV-positive people from traveling and immigrating to the United States. The highly celebrated change took effect January 4. We asked Frank J. Oldham Jr., president and chief executive officer of the National Association of People With AIDS (NAPWA), for his thoughts on how this important policy change might affect Black America's fight against AIDS.

Why was ending this ban so important?
A civil rights issue has been addressed for minorities, gay people and women of all colors with HIV. It's long overdue. It was a completely backward policy.

How will this change impact Black people--both HIV-positive and HIV-negative--particularly in the United States?
When someone dies of AIDS, they're really dying of poverty, racism, homo-hatred, stigma around substance abuse and no health care. African Americans make up 13 percent of the U.S. population and [almost] 50 percent of the AIDS population. Lifting the ban helps remove stigma and saves lives. NAPWA represents 1.1 million Americans living with HIV, over 50 percent of them Black, and we don't want them to progress to AIDS, [but they can] if they don't get care. Lifting the ban ensures that we can learn from people overseas how to best get people into care and keep them there.

What possibilities exist now for Black people that didn't exist before?
The ban said that HIV is so horrible that if you [have HIV and] have family in other countries--whether it's Trinidad, Jamaica or a country in Africa--and you left this country, you could [have trouble] getting back in. If you had your meds and they saw them at the airport, you could be stopped. It's a total outrage. They were increasing AIDS stigma. The ban was an obvious injustice and violation of civil rights.


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The National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) is the oldest national AIDS organization, as well as the first network of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world. We believe in making a difference in the lives of our constituents. We do this by: providing information and resources;telling our collective stories in HIV from the past, present, and future;and being the trusted independent voice of people living with HIV.

Information – Resources

Whether living with HIV or interested in the issue, NAPWA provides information and resources about HIV, stigma, testing, and policy. We do this through referrals, health promotion campaigns, and capacity building and training. We believe in building partnerships and networks to make these efforts stronger.

Past – Present – Future

In the face of stigma, NAPWA has been a public voice talking about HIV and AIDS for 25 years. We believe that silence and inaction are deadly. Whether newly infected or a long-time survivor, we all have something important to add to the legacy of HIV and AIDS. NAPWA was founded on the 1983 Denver Principles which transformed us from victims to victors, with the same medical, personal, and social rights as others. We continue engaging people living with HIV through regional meetings and initiatives like This Is My Story.

Voice of Positive Leadership

NAPWA is the trusted independent voice of people living with HIV. We do this by the support of our individual and organizational members. We recognize the importance of bringing your local issues to the federal level. We also host AIDSWatch, the largest annual gathering of people living with HIV in the nation’s capital. Together we can make a difference.

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