Dear WolfLair:

 

I recently celebrated my 77th birthday, and I celebrated it in the most delightful way possible, which for me is to be surrounded by children. A group of 500 children sang for me at Milnerton Primary School in South Africa. As they did so I thought to myself, "Are we doing enough to make a better world for these children to grow up in, so that they too could live to the age of 77 or more?"

 

In a world where we still see nearly 400,000 children infected by HIV each year, the answer is clearly, "No!"

 

I think you will agree. And, as someone concerned about HIV/AIDS, you know the importance of World AIDS Day, which we will commemorate on Monday, December 1st. How will you be marking this day?

 

I believe this is the most important World AIDS Day ever, because it comes as the US is preparing to inaugurate a new President who is setting the priorities for his first year in office. It also comes as the world is coping with a serious economic crisis that could lead some of us to wrongly conclude that the US can no longer afford the fight against AIDS.

 

"President Obama and the incoming Congress must keep their promises on AIDS and global poverty!"  That's the message I want you to proclaim loudly and clearly on December 1st.

 

We know these leaders will face many pressures and there are many important needs to be met, but let's remember that the cost of keeping US promises on AIDS is still a tiny fraction of the US--less than 1%, in fact.

 

Stopping AIDS is part of a broader effort to create a safer, more stable world. AIDS must also be stopped within the United States, too! But, will US leaders reduce funding to fight AIDS, while increasing the budget to buy more and more weapons of destruction? That is the great risk we face right now in the fight against AIDS, that funding will be slowed down even as other budget items soar into the skies.

 

Take the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, for instance. You and I know what a huge success the Global Fund has been and how its resources have saved millions of lives from AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. But, it troubles me greatly to see that Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), the key decision-makers on this issue, along with Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), are supporting a US contribution to the Global Fund that is only half of the amount requested.

 

The Global Fund is now facing a massive shortfall in the resources it needs to maintain and expand effective programs and has actually been forced to postpone future grant-making.

 

So, what can we do? Please take a moment to read the action alert below and contact President-elect Obama's transition team to call for a full $2.7 billion US contribution to the Global Fund.

 

I also want to ask you to work with other members of your community to recognize World AIDS Day by calling for full funding for programs that really are saving lives. Let me share an African saying with you, which is that if you want to travel fast, travel alone, but if you want to travel far, then travel with others. When it comes to AIDS we need to travel far--all the way to universal access to all HIV/AIDS services--so we need to work together for change.

 

That's why I'm asking you to bring up the issue of AIDS with your friends and neighbors. Is there a World AIDS Day observance in your area? If so, please attend, and if not, consider organizing one with the theme of, "We need action now from President Obama and the Congress on AIDS, both at home and abroad!" Contact the staff at Global AIDS Alliance for help in making your voice have a real impact: grassroots@...

 

Thank you for all you already do.

 

God bless you,

 

Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Honorary Chair, Global AIDS Alliance

 

Introduce Congress to Women's Rights: On November 25th, 16 days of global action against gender violence begins. Violence against women is a crime and a worldwide pandemic; at least one out of every three women worldwide is beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. And this violence may lead to another form of suffering: HIV/AIDS, which is often driven by violence against women. You can help by urging your Representative to cosponsor the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA).

 

Help the Global Fund: Over the last six years, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has provided AIDS treatment to  1.8 million people, treated 3.9 million people for tuberculosis, and distributed 59 million bednets used to prevent malaria. These critical interventions have saved countless lives around the world and helped drive increased demand for Global Fund resources. The Global Fund estimates its resource needs will reach $$8 billion annually by 2010, requiring a significant increase in contributions from donors around the world, including the United States. Help us send a message to President-elect Obama that the US must make a fair-share contribution of $2.7 billion to the Global Fund for the 2010 fiscal year.

 

World AIDS Day Auction: This year, the Global AIDS Alliance has partnered with documentary photographer Rebecca Sullivan to help commemorate World AIDS Day and provide an alternative way to support GAA's mission. Rebecca has donated 10 stunning black-and-white prints from a moving collection of portraits taken in Africa in 2003, which we are auctioning off through eBay Giving Works. The "10 Photos, 10 Reasons" auction kicks off on December 1, World AIDS Day, and continues through December 10. Please support GAA's work and bid on these one-of-a-kind photos!

 

Say Cheese: How are you commemorating World AIDS Day? Snap a picture of yourself and tell us what World AIDS Day means to you, and we will add you to GAA's 2008 World AIDS Day slideshow. Email your snapshot and statement to grassroots@....