U.S. Embassy Celebrates World AIDS Day
December 1, 2009
The United States Embassy joins Zimbabwe and the international community in commemorating World AIDS Day. "On World AIDS Day, we honor the millions of people around the world who have been impacted by the AIDS epidemic - those who are living with HIV, those who have lost, and the caregivers, families, friends and communities who have provided support," said Katherine Dhanani, U.S. Embassy Chargé d'Affaires.
As part of activities to mark the occasion, the Embassy's Public Affairs Section (PAS) will host a month-long exhibition featuring images captured by teenagers in Mutasa District in Manicaland. The youth went through an intensive training with American facilitator Jeremy Jenkins under the auspices of Nhaka, a non-governmental organization based in the province. They were given disposable cameras to shoot images portraying the shifting perspectives on HIV and AIDS in their rural communities. These images will be on display under the broad theme "Cultural Crossroads" starting Tuesday, December 1. The general public is invited to view the exhibition at PAS on the 7th floor, Goldbridge, Eastgate Shopping Center.
On December 10, 2009, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will honor outstanding Zimbabwean HIV and AIDS activists at a ceremony to be held in Harare. This year's event will mark the ninth remembrance of the life of Auxillia Chimusoro. Auxillia is one of the first persons in Zimbabwe to openly disclose her HIV positive status, in 1987, at a time when silence shrouded HIV and AIDS.
The awards go to organizations and individuals who have demonstrated commitment and courage in breaking the silence, reducing stigma and discrimination, and caring for infected and affected people. The awards have attracted interest across a wide range of players in the health sector. Past winners of the Auxillia Chimusoro awards include corporate organizations, medical practitioners, religious leaders, artists and journalists.
As part of the United States' efforts to combat the spread of HIV in Zimbabwe, the U.S. Government, through the President's Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), has invested over 200 million dollars since 2000 in Zimbabwe's health system and services. The U.S. Government will commit an additional $46 million in FY 2010 on HIV and AIDS programming in Zimbabwe.
"The fight against global AIDS is a central piece of the foreign policy and global health agenda outlined by the United States," says Tim Gerhardson, Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy. "This U.S. Government Global Health Initiative will continue my country's leadership on global health priorities like HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, as well as expand our focus on integrating current programs with those that address maternal and child health, family planning and neglected tropical diseases."
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Health & Education Brief (pdf, 49kb)
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