What We're Reading: A New United Nations Report, the Future of PEPFAR, Rickshaws and "A Time For Heroes"

Posted by Joanna Harvey
Washington, D.C.
May 24, 2013

The Sitar Wars team with Chewie, the rickshaw they took on a wild adventure
across India to raise money for EGPAF.
(Photo: Sitar Wars)

This week, we’re gearing-up for “A Time for Heroes,” celebrating a new report from the United Nations that found AIDS-related deaths in Africa are down and access to treatment is up, finding new optimism on World HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, cheering on fundraisers who raced across India in a rickshaw to raise money for EGPAF, and thinking about the future of PEPFAR as we celebrate its 10-year anniversary.

In Mozambique, EGPAF Support Boosts Tuberculosis Diagnoses

Posted by Arsénio Manhice
Maputo, Mozambique
May 24, 2013

In Maputo province in southern Mozambique,
EGPAF is training nurses and health care
workers on how to use microscopes to better
diagnose tuberculosis (TB). (Photo: EGPAF)

People living with HIV are much more vulnerable to tuberculosis (TB), a bacterial infection that kills the body’s tissues. In fact, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all people living with HIV be tested for TB. And in Maputo province in southern Mozambique, more patients with TB will be able to receive treatment as a result of 23 microscopes and a new initiative focused on training staff in properly diagnosing TB.

Linking HIV with Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)

Posted by Dr. Neeraj Mistry

May 23, 2013

HIV/AIDS and neglected tropical diseases
(NTDs) often overlap, affected women and
children disproportionately. (Photo: WHO)

Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about global health funding and how we can do more with less. As we reflect on 10 years of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Release (PEPFAR), move forward with new funding streams for the Global Fund and transition bilateral and multilateral support to country-ownership platforms, we must examine the best ways to link HIV/AIDS services with other global health interventions.

Reaching the Finish Line, One Rickshaw Run at a Time

Posted by Danny Gottlieb

May 23, 2013

The Sitar Wars Rickshaw Race team (Danny
Gottlieb, Steve Stenholt, and Lindsey Wanner)
at Coronation Bridge in West Bengal, India.
(Photo: Sitar Wars)

On April 6, the Sitar Wars rickshaw team began a 2,400-mile, two-week race across the entire Indian subcontinent to raise money for EGPAF. Read Danny’s final installment in his blog series about the journey!

At World Health Assembly, Concerns and Commitment

Posted by Eliane Drakopoulos
Geneva, Switzerland
May 22, 2013

The World Health Assembly, based in Geneva,
Switzerland, is the main governing body of
the World Health Organization. (Photo: WHO)

The 66th World Health Assembly (WHA) opened in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday with representatives from the 194 member states of the World Health Organization (WHO). The group convenes annually to make key decisions about the future policies and key directions of the WHO. This year, the delegates will focus on the challenge of how to ensure the place of health in the post-2015 generation of millennium development goals (MDGs), including MDG 5, improving maternal and child health and MDG 6, combating HIV, malaria, and other diseases.

A Rickshaw Race Through India to Save Lives

Posted by Danny Gottlieb

May 21, 2013

Team Sitar Wars (Danny Gottleib, Lindsey
Wanner, and Steve Stenholt) about to take a
refreshing dip in the Bay of Bengal during their
Rickshaw Race across India to raise money
for EGPAF. (Photo: Sitar Wars)

On April 6, the Sitar Wars rickshaw team began a 2,400-mile, two-week race across the entire Indian subcontinent to raise money for EGPAF. Their journey took them from beaches to hostels, from engine failures to the Bay of Bengal. Read more from team member Danny about their incredible journey.