AIDS Caravan to roll into Pittsburgh, D.C. to demand more funding

Forty-five million people worldwide have HIV, according to Global Fund, a private organization… Forty-five million people worldwide have HIV, according to Global Fund, a private organization created to increase resources to fight the virus.

Members of the Campaign to End AIDS Caravan will roll into Pittsburgh today and hold a rally tomorrow to promote awareness about HIV/AIDS and their organization.

The rally will be held at 11 a.m. on the corner of Penn and Highland avenues at the East Liberty Presbyterian Church.

AIDS is the fourth-leading cause of death worldwide, according to the Global Fund.

There are 10 caravans in total. Each started out from different corners of the United States on Oct. 15. They have been stopping in various cities as they make their way to Washington, D.C., where they will unite from Nov. 5-9 for five days of action.

They have four goals for the rest of this year, which they plan to present to members of Congress.

The Caravan is seeking to reauthorize and gain full funding for the Ryan White CARE Act, which is a federal program designed to improve the quality and availability of care for people living with HIV and AIDS in the United States and their families.

The federal government allocates 49 percent of its budget for domestic HIV/AIDS spending toward Medicaid, which, for 2005, amounts to $5.7 billion.

The campaign is looking to keep these present Medicaid benefits intact.

They want to strengthen the worldwide fight against AIDS by supporting the Global Fund.

Another change they are looking for is debt cancellation for third-world countries. The Caravan wants creditors to stop demanding debt payments so that these countries can devote their resources to helping fight HIV/AIDS and other resulting effects that the epidemic has caused.

The campaign is also focusing on the preventative side of HIV/AIDS and wants prevention methods taught from the best scientific conclusions available rather than from what they call ideals.

Aisha White, a promoter of the Campaign to End AIDS, said that there is a struggle between teaching only abstinence and teaching abstinence and protection to prevent HIV/AIDS.

The Campaign to End AIDS has a slogan: “We have what it takes to end AIDS. Now all we need is the heart.”

White echoed this, saying, “We are aware of what’s necessary, now we just need the compassion to follow through with it.”

Pittsburgh is only one stop on the northern tier of this month-long campaign, which started in Seattle.

More information can be found online at www.campaigntoendaids.org.