THE U.S. PRESIDENT’S EMERGENCY PLAN FOR AIDS RELIEF
"VOICES OF HOPE – LONG VERSION"
A Production of Still Life Projects, 2006
Documentary Transcript
OPENING
JOHN ROBERT ENGOLE, ART CLIENT:
The life which is doomed, there is no way you can think of any other thing. When I found out that I have HIV, my life was demoralized completely. I knew that I was going to die.
BY THE TIME THE SUN SETS EACH DAY, HIV/AIDS HAS KILLED 8,000 MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN, AND INFECTED 14,000 MORE. IN RESPONSE TO THE MOST DEVASTATING HEALTH CRISIS OF OUR TIME, PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH ANNOUNCED A 15 BILLION DOLLAR PLAN TO FIGHT THE PANDEMIC IN MORE THAN 120 COUNTRIES.
STATE OF THE UNION, 2003
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:
Ladies and gentlemen, seldom has history offered a greater opportunity to do so much for so many… and to meet a severe and urgent crisis abroad tonight I propose the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT’S EMERGENCY PLAN FOR AIDS RELIEF, OR PEPFAR, AIMS TO SUPPORT PREVENTION OF 7 MILLION NEW INFECTIONS, SUPPORT TREATMENT FOR 2 MILLION PEOPLE, AND SUPPORT CARE FOR 10 MILLION, INCLUDING ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN.
THE EMERGENCY PLAN IS THE LARGEST INITIATIVE IN HISTORY TO COMBAT A SINGLE DISEASE....
FOR MILLIONS, IT'S THE DAWN OF A BRAND NEW DAY.
KAMPALA, UGANDA
DR. PETER MUGYENYI, DIRECTOR, JOINT CLINICAL RESEARCH CENTER:
My most important memory of the State of the Union Address was the announcement of the 15 billion. It still rings in my ears because it meant so much to so many people in poor countries.
FOR UGANDA’S DR. MUGYENYI THAT MEANT EXTENDING ANTI-RETROVIRAL TREATMENT AND A NEW LEASE ON LIFE TO 36 THOUSAND MORE PATIENTS.
DR. PETER MUGYENYI, DIRECTOR, JOINT CLINICAL RESEARCH CENTER (talking to patient):
So, fortunately, we have free treatment for both…all we need now is to make sure that they use the drugs correctly.
DR. PETER MUGYENYI, DIRECTOR, JOINT CLINICAL RESEARCH CENTER (interview):
The State of the Union was in January, and preparations for PEPFAR started in Uganda by September; and by the end of November, the first patient had taken PEPFAR drugs.
UGANDA’S FIRST PEPFAR-SUPPORTED PATIENT, JOHN ROBERT ENGOLE, IS A LIVING TESTAMENT TO THE POWER OF TREATMENT AND A FULFILLED EMERGENCY PLAN PROMISE.
JOHN ROBERT ENGOLE, ART CLIENT:
Everybody was losing hope. All people knew that I was going to die. My weight was 45 kilograms, I had TB, I had rashes… my CD4 was one; it was only one. Since I started medication and I realized that I’m strong…I can do other things…my feelings are coming back. That’s why I went back to school. What I was planning, I can now do it. So when you talk of PEPFAR, that’s my life…because without it, I could have not lived.
Now, what makes me to go back to work with the communities, I want to save the lives of other people.
DEDICATED PEOPLE LIKE JOHN, WORKING IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, ARE TRUE LEADERS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST THE PANDEMIC.
AMBASSADOR TOBIAS, U.S. GLOBAL AIDS COORDINATOR, 2003-2006:
The reason the Emergency Plan has been able to get traction and accomplish so much in such a short period of time, I could summarize in a single word—people. It’s the individual human beings in the neighborhoods and communities that I have found so striking—people who have so little and are doing so much to reach out and to help each other.
HANOI, VIETNAM
IN VIETNAM, HEALTH EDUCATORS FROM THE HAI AU CLUB, A DROP-IN CENTER FOR DRUG USERS AND SEX WORKERS, WALK INTO A NEIGHBORHOOD MOST WOULD AVOID. THERE, THEY TALK TO DRUG USERS ABOUT HIV/AIDS AND ENCOURAGE CONFIDENTIAL COUNSELING AND TESTING.
BROCHURE TEXT CAPTIONED ON SCREEN:
Tests analyze individual HIV infection risk.
YOUTH IN VIETNAM ARE ALSO BECOMING LEADERS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST THE PANDEMIC. AT BRIGHT FUTURES, A SUPPORT NETWORK FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS, MEMBERS PROVIDE COUNSELING FOR ONE ANOTHER AND FOR THEIR FAMILIES.
QUOC HUNG, BRIGHT FUTURES MEMBER:
I found out I was infected three years ago. My life changed so much. Now, I feel comfortable in my mind. I told myself to live positively. I want to tell other HIV-infected people about my experiences to help them get over their difficulties.
NGUYEN THI TUYET LAN, BRIGHT FUTURES MEMBER:
When I joined this group, I just wanted to see a person infected with HIV, like me. But now, I don’t want comfort for only me…there are many people who need my help.
LAKE VICTORIA, KENYA
SUPPORTING LOCAL PEOPLE AND LOCAL INITIATIVES MEANS SUPPORTING INCREDIBLY DIVERSE APPROACHES TO THE PANDEMIC.
ERIC WARA, MOBILE VCT COUNSELOR:
We have the belief that very many Kenyans cannot afford the fare to come to VCT sites, so we go out and meet the people where they require the services.
IMPROVING ACCESS TO COUNSELING AND TESTING IS CRUCIAL, AS TREATMENT AND CARE BECOME MORE WIDELY AVAILABLE.
…OVER 9 MILLION PEOPLE RECEIVED COUNSELING AND TESTING IN PEPFAR’S FIRST TWO YEARS.
ERIC WARA, MOBILE VCT COUNSELOR:
We are very grateful to the American people and the American government. Such programs really support the common man with very little information about problems like HIV and the AIDS pandemic.
WHEN THE EMERGENCY PLAN WAS ANNOUNCED, THERE WERE ONLY 50,000 PEOPLE ON TREATMENT IN ALL OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA. BY LATE 2005, THE U.S. SUPPORTED TREATMENT FOR MORE THAN 471,000 MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN WORLDWIDE.
...WHICH MEANS DRAMATIC PROGRESS AT PLACES LIKE THE MOI TEACHING AND REFERRAL HOSPITAL IN ELDORET, KENYA.
ELDORET, KENYA
DR. SYLVESTER KIMAIYO, MOI TEACHING AND REFERRAL HOSPITAL:
We started in 2001. At that time, we were treating about 250 patients per year. But with the announcement of the Emergency Plan, we are now taking care of 16,000 patients. The end of the 5-year period, we hope to take care of between 30,000 and 50,000 patients. It’s a dream that we couldn’t have imagined three years ago…from so many dying, to now so many going back to work and living.
COMMUNITIES ARE CREATING HOLISTIC PROGRAMS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS – NOT ONLY TODAY, BUT FOR THE LONG TERM. MOI HOSPITAL IS BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE PROGRAM THAT OFFERS WORK AT ONE OF ITS THREE TRAINING FARMS, FOOD FROM THE HARVEST, AND EDUCATION TO HELP PEOPLE LIVE POSITIVELY.
STEVEN LEWIS, AMPATH FARM MANAGER:
A holistic approach is essential to the overall success of this program. Not only are we providing people with drugs, which is one major component to actually bring them back up, they also then need school fees, they need food, they need income-generations, they need to get their lives back up in order again. So, what we’re looking at is just building up their self-confidence and encouraging them to be self-reliant.
ANTHONY WAKESA, AMPATH FARM EDUCATOR:
The program means a lot to the community. It means that, actually, they will get healed through this program. And that the program empowers them to have skills. I’m proud to be part of this program because, one, I’m a Kenyan. And when we talk about the HIV, it’s affecting my family, it’s affecting my friends, it’s affecting everybody—my leaders, and so forth. And I want to work and defend and fight HIV with all my heart.
WHILE TREATMENT AND CARE ARE VITAL FOR THOSE ALREADY INFECTED, THE GREATEST NEED IS TO HELP PEOPLE AVOID INFECTION IN THE FIRST PLACE.
MANY NATIONS HAVE ADOPTED THE ‘ABC’ APPROACH – ABSTAIN, BE FAITHFUL, AND CORRECT AND CONSISTENT USE OF CONDOMS WHERE APPROPRIATE. ABC PROGRAMS ARE TAILORED TO THE PARTICULAR ISSUES OF EACH SOCIETY.
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
IN JOHANNESBURG, THE “MEN AS PARTNERS” PROGRAM USES ABC MESSAGES WITH A SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON REACHING MEN, CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS THAT PUT WOMEN AT RISK.
RABU RALETSEMO, MEN AS PARTNERS:
Most of the time when, you know, people look at HIV/AIDS programs, they associate them with women. So, by challenging gender stereotypes, for instance to say to men, it’s a health risk to have multiple partners. If men understand that they have a role to play in challenging gender stereotypes, they have a role to play by understanding the importance of usage of condom, or promoting abstinence, that helps in reducing the spread and impact of HIV and AIDS.
FULLY 60 PERCENT OF THOSE ON PEPFAR-SUPPORTED TREATMENT ARE WOMEN–HIGHLIGHTING THE URGENT NEED FOR PROGRAMS LIKE MEN AS PARTNERS, CONFRONTING THE ISSUES THAT LEAD TO WOMEN BEING INFECTED.
NKONZO KHANYILE, MEN AS PARTNERS PARTICIPANT:
I just do everything that my sisters do—I do washing, I cook, I scrub the floor. In fact I do everything that they do, taking a different direction from what society believes how men should behave, and creating a partnership, particularly with my sisters as well as my girlfriend.
If every man in South Africa can adopt the attitude of Men As Partners, it will help big-time. It will help in the reduction of HIV/AIDS; it will also help the reduction of domestic violence.
It has made me brave enough to step out of the box.
DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA
IN DURBAN, MCCORD HOSPITAL'S ANTENATAL CLINIC IS DETERMINED TO STOP THE DISEASE, STARTING AT BIRTH. WITHOUT INTERVENTION, AN HIV-POSITIVE MOTHER FACES OVER A 30 PERCENT RISK OF PASSING THE INFECTION TO HER NEWBORN.
SANDY REID, PMTCT COORDINATOR, MCCORD HOSPITAL:
Our heart was to have negative babies and well moms. We’re down to 1.3 percent transmission rate which is absolutely phenomenal. It’s like, the most exciting thing because you can give mothers hope; you can give them future; you can encourage them and they can believe in what we do because they see the other babies that are negative.
MCCORD OFFERS COUNSELING AND TESTING TO ALL PREGNANT WOMEN WHO COME TO THE CLINIC. THOSE FOUND POSITIVE ARE OFFERED DRUGS THAT REDUCE THE RISK TO THEIR BABIES–AND CAN ACCESS TREATMENT FOR THEMSELVES AS WELL.
QUEEN, AN HIV-POSITIVE MOTHER, CAME TO MCCORD OVER A YEAR AGO WITH HOPES OF DELIVERING AN HIV-FREE BABY.
QUEEN, HIV-POSITIVE MOTHER:
I went to the theater (clinic), then they asked me, “Guess…is it a boy or a girl?” Then I said, “It’s a girl.” And they said, “No, no it’s a boy.” And they showed him to me, and I was very excited. And he was crying with big eyes. I was very, very excited. And I said, “Thank God. I made it.” But there was the thing…although I’ve done it, what will happen to his results? What shall I do if he is positive?
SANDY REID, PMTCT COORDINATOR, MCCORD HOSPITAL:
It’s not like we ever think they’re all going to be negative. It’s each week checking the baby–are there lymph nodes? Is there something wrong? Because there’s always a chance we still might not make it.
QUEEN, HIV-POSITIVE MOTHER:
The worst of all was when my counselor Sister Sandy phoned me at home. I was shocked. I never know whether to say, “I am Queen…or Queen is no more here.” Then I said, “Okay, you may proceed. I am Queen.” Then she said, “Queen, I’ve got good news for you. Your son is HIV-negative.” I bursted into tears. I never know whether I do said any word after she told me, but what I remember I bursted into tears. Everybody in the house, “What happened?” “I’m receiving good news about my son.” I took him, I put my son on my chest and I prayed. Thank God…thank God he is HIV-negative. Although I am positive, but because he is HIV-negative, life is gonna…go on.
SANDY REID, PMTCT COORDINATOR, MCCORD HOSPITAL:
PEPFAR has honestly changed our lives so much. Because before you gave a result, when you were positive, there wasn’t much could be done. Now I can say, “I can do extra blood tests for you. I can put you on treatment. I can test your baby.” PEPFAR will never, ever know what they’ve done for McCords…never. This is our future South Africa.
KWAZULU-NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA
MANY BELIEVE A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR SOUTH AFRICA INVOLVES EMBRACING ITS RICH PAST.
AMONG ZULU PEOPLE, TRADITIONAL HEALERS ARE SEEN AS IMPORTANT LEADERS. DOCTORS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL HAVE ENLISTED TRADITIONAL HEALERS TO OFFER LEADERSHIP ON HIV/AIDS TO THEIR COMMUNITIES.
NOMBUSO BHENGU, ZULU TRADITIONAL HEALER:
As a Traditional Healer, I’m a well-known person in this community. When people are sick, they come to me. They come to traditional healers.
DOCTORS PROVIDE HEALERS WITH THE SKILLS AND SUPPLIES THEY NEED TO OFFER HIV COUNSELING AND TESTING. SOON, THEY WILL ALSO BE TRAINED TO SUPPORT PEOPLE IN MAINTAINING THEIR TREATMENT.
NOMBUSO BHENGU, ZULU TRADITIONAL HEALER:
I am excited about teaming up with Western doctors and nurses. This project is going to unify. People are going to speak with one voice. I hope that, at the end of the day, we will find a solution to the epidemic, through our collaboration.
AMBASSADOR TOBIAS, U.S. GLOBAL AIDS COORDINATOR, 2003-2006:
It’s a very, very different way for the United States Government to do business. When the President asked me to take on this role, he specifically said not to be constrained by the ways in which the United States Government had done business; and we have not been. And it’s been really very, very unique and very successful.
LUSAKA, ZAMBIA
IN ZAMBIA, MEN IN UNIFORM CONSIDER FIGHTING THE AIDS EPIDEMIC THEIR DUTY. THE ZAMBIAN DEFENSE FORCE DRAMA TEAM TRAVELS TO MILITARY UNITS WITH PREVENTION MESSAGES FOR SOLDIERS AND THEIR FAMILIES.
LT. COL. J.C. BANDA, REGIMENTAL COMMANDER:
As a soldier, first of all, we are trained to take risks. So, sometimes even things of sexuality, we tend to take risks. And we live in a society where we are always in groups. So, it’s very easy for peer pressures.
SCENES FROM PLAY:
Solider 1: I saw you with a sex worker last night. What happened?
Soldier 2: Hey, she was so good in bed. [laughter].
Soldier 1: In our days there is HIV and AIDS.
Soldier 3: That’s why it’s always important when you take someone, you use this [gives soldier 2 a condom]. Use a condom. You have to condomize.
Soldier 2: Ah, this is nothing to me; keep it.
ELIJAH DAKA, WARRANT OFFICER:
To the soldiers, drama and these performances are like a mirror; and soldiers are able to look at their lives through the plays that we present.
SCENES FROM PLAY:
Wife: Where did you get it from? You know what I’m talking about—the STD. You know about it.
Soldier 2: Don’t accuse me…don’t accuse me!
CORPORAL MATENGA OWEN, WARRANT OFFICER:
In the army there are three W’s–that is women, wine and war. And when they say there’s no war, you just have to have wine and women. And when there’s no wine, just women and the likes. So, really, when they come to see the play, they always come to realize that we’re in danger.
SCENES FROM PLAY:
Soldier 2: Positive…what does this mean?
Doctor: Well, it means you have the HIV virus in your bodies.
CORPORAL MATENGA OWEN, WARRANT OFFICER:
I want the soldiers to actually walk away with the message that abstinence, self control and discipline at all levels is most cardinal…It’s the biggest battle that is actually before mankind.
FIVE HOURS OUTSIDE THE CAPITAL CITY, 1,300 FEET BELOW GROUND, THE PANDEMIC IS THREATENING MINERS AT KONKOLA COPPER MINES. APPROXIMATELY 18 PERCENT OF THE MINERS ARE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS.
KING MUSHANI, KCM HIV/AIDS OUTREACH COORDINATOR:
I’ve seen my colleagues die, even some of my relatives. I’ve seen the devastations that the pandemic is doing to the mines and to the community. I’ve seen the devastation.
KING, A MINER AT KONKOLA, DOUBLES AS ONE OF ITS 377 PEER EDUCATORS.
KING MUSHANI, KCM HIV/AIDS OUTREACH COORDINATOR, (to miners):
…So we are urging you, we are asking you, we are humbly, kindly asking you, consider going for VCT. Then you will have joined the fight against the pandemic.
KING MUSHANI, KCM HIV/AIDS OUTREACH COORDINATOR:
When I have an opportunity to talk to my colleagues on HIV/AIDS, I’ll talk and talk until I talk to the maximum, so that they understand…leave no stone unturned.
KING MUSHANI, KCM HIV/AIDS OUTREACH COORDINATOR, (to miners):
…somebody is not well dressed–you think you are enticed and you want to have sex with them…What do you think about the virus? You know, ignorance has got no defense. What you don't know, you don't know and you better learn, and the virus has got no boundaries.
KCM’S WORKPLACE PROGRAM, IS PART OF A GREATER MOVEMENT THAT WILL REACH 300,000 MIGRANT WORKERS WITH ABC-BASED PREVENTION MESSAGES. KCM ALSO PROVIDES COUNSELING, TESTING, AND TREATMENT SERVICES TO ITS WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILIES.
KING MUSHANI, KCM HIV/AIDS OUTREACH COORDINATOR:
I’m able to see in their eyes, each one of them. There may be plenty, but I will still look into their eyes and see that they are understanding and that the pandemic is here; and it’s here for those that are saying they don’t care.
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA
UNSAFE MEDICAL INJECTIONS AND BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS POSE ANOTHER PREVENTION CHALLENGE. IN THE AMERICAS, GUYANA IS WORKING TOWARD A SAFE BLOOD SUPPLY FOR ITS PEOPLE.
DR. CLEM MCEWAN, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, GUYANA NATIONAL BLOOD TRANSFUSION SERVICE:
Guyana being one of the countries within the Caribbean that is experiencing an increasing incidence of HIV and AIDS has been a beneficiary of the PEPFAR initiative, which is going to be used to enhance not just the infrastructure, but improve human capacity, improve training, ensure that there are materials and the requisite equipment so that we can continue to carry out the job of trying to ensure the safety of our blood supplies.
ETON, A YOUNG MAN SUFFERING FROM SICKLE CELL DISEASE, PUTS HIS LIFE IN THE CENTER'S HANDS EVERY TIME HE GETS A BLOOD TRANSFUSION.
ETON LONDON, BLOOD TRANSFUSION RECIPIENT:
Just last evening, I was a recipient of two units of blood; and I feel very comfortable receiving that blood. I can stand here today and speak about it because I know that six months down the road from now, the chances of me actually being tested HIV-positive as a consequence of that transfusion is next to zero.
DR. CLEM MCEWAN, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, GUYANA NATIONAL BLOOD TRANSFUSION SERVICE:
As an impoverished country within the Americas and within the world, we would have been really, really hard pressed to provide the level of heath care and to fight this condition without the contribution from the United States. Because without it, we would have been losing this battle. As it is right now, we are there fighting and winning.
KAMPALA, UGANDA
IN UGANDA, A NATION THAT HAS HAD SUCCESS IN FIGHTING HIV/AIDS, THE EMERGENCY PLAN WORKS WITH PARTNERS IN PLACES AS DANGEROUS AS THE CONFLICT ZONE IN THE NORTH…AND SUPPORTS PREVENTION WITH THE ABC APPROACH IN PLACES LIKE THE NKUMBA PRIMARY SCHOOL.
STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN FRANK DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HIV/AIDS AND LEARN SKILLS TO HELP THEM DELAY SEXUAL ACTIVITY NOW AND BE FAITHFUL LATER ON IN LIFE.
STUDENTS PERFORMANCE:
Youth, you are important still. Those who are still HIV negative, abstinence is the answer. Say "No!” to AIDS.
RACHEL BASOGA, NKUMBA PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENT:
We learn facts about HIV/AIDS. It helps us to prevent HIV/AIDS, by, for example, we abstain.
ABC WAS DEVELOPED IN UGANDA, BUT EVIDENCE FROM A GROWING NUMBER OF NATIONS, SUCH AS KENYA AND ZIMBABWE, ALSO SHOWS A CLEAR ASSOCIATION BETWEEN ABC BEHAVIORS AND DECLINING RATES OF HIV INFECTION.
STUDENT PERFORMANCE:
We need our rights…We need our chances… to live!
HUMPHREY OKELLO, HIV/AIDS PROGRAM COORDINATOR:
It is helping children, by preaching preventive measures that are aimed at serving the children of this country and the children of this school in particular…because these children are the window of hope for this country.
STUDENT PERFORMANCE:
Tears in the morning, burying our young ones … (inaudible) widows crying and orphans suffering.
XAI XAI, MOZAMBIQUE
ONE OF THE MOST TRAGIC ASPECTS OF THE PANDEMIC IS THE LARGE NUMBER OF CHILDREN BEING LEFT BEHIND. APPROXIMATELY 20,000 CHILDREN ARE ORPHANED BY AIDS EACH DAY.
NILSA AND CELSA BURIED THEIR FATHER FOUR YEARS AGO. THE GIRLS THEN CARED FOR THEIR DYING MOTHER UNTIL RECENTLY, WHEN AIDS TOOK HER, LEAVING THEM WITH ONLY EACH OTHER.
CELSA, PEPFAR-SUPPORTED CHILD:
My mother would always tell me to hope for a better future for tomorrow. She had wishes for us.
THE EMERGENCY PLAN HAS SUPPORTED CARE FOR NEARLY 3 MILLION PEOPLE, INCLUDING OVER 1.2 MILLION ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN. NILSA AND CELSA ARE BEING CARED FOR BY A VOLUNTEER WITH A FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATION.
ITELVINA TEMBE, ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN WORKER:
When we found the girls, their mother was still alive, but she was already having signs of failing health. A World Relief volunteer helped care for their mother. They showed her how she could prepare for the children’s future.
AS WELL AS REBUILDING THEIR HOME AND PROVIDING THEM WITH THE COUNSELING THEY NEED TODAY, PEPFAR WORKS WITH ITS PARTNER ORGANIZATION TO SEND THE GIRLS TO SCHOOL SO THEY CAN REALIZE THEIR DREAMS FOR TOMORROW.
CELSA, PEPFAR-SUPPORTED CHILD:
My wish is to become a doctor or nurse and to finish school.
KENYA
OVER 80 PERCENT OF PEPFAR’S PARTNERS ARE INDIGENOUS ORGANIZATIONS WITH DEEP ROOTS IN THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE, COMMUNITY- AND FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS PLAY A KEY ROLE.
DR. MARK DYBUL, DEPUTY U.S. GLOBAL AIDS COORDINATOR AND CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER:
In Kenya, 40 to 50 percent of health care is provided by faith-based organizations, and in the Coptic Church, the effect on people is breathtaking. The hope that’s been created, the compassionate care that’s been delivered—it is transforming the continent of Africa.
THE COPTIC MISSION HAS BEEN SERVING COMMUNITIES IN KENYA FOR FORTY YEARS, AND MOST RECENTLY OPENED AN HIV/AIDS CLINIC ON ITS CAMPUS, APPROPRIATELY NAMED THE HOPE CENTER.
FATHER MOSES SHAFIK, COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH:
To say that PEPFAR, through The Coptic Church, they have reached the community—this is the fact. When we had the drugs in the beginning, 1999, the cost per month was costing almost $500 per month. Nowadays, through PEPFAR program, the medicine is free. So you get people from the towns around Nairobi and all of them has been served. This is the reality.
ONE MOTHER FACED AN AGONIZING DECISION: TREATMENT FOR HER SON OR FOR HIS ONLY PROVIDER – HERSELF.
MARY MACHARA, HIV-POSITIVE MOTHER:
Eleven years ago is when I learned I’m HIV positive together with my son and I could not afford drugs for both of us, so he’s the one whom I put on the ARVs for that time.
Hope Center to me is inspirational, you know…because I was already losing hope, considering the expenditure involved in the whole medication, but the minute I started coming for the free anti-retroviral, life dramatically changed, because I had now the hope of living... Now I knew I could carry on.
It’s a source of inspiration in the sense that…it has given me a purpose for life and for my son’s, too.
MILLIONS AROUND THE WORLD INFECTED WITH AND AFFECTED BY HIV/AIDS ARE NOW LIVING WITH HOPE.
TOGETHER, PEPFAR AND THE PEOPLE OF MANY NATIONS ARE SAVING LIVES AND PRESERVING FAMILIES, WHILE BUILDING RESPONSES THAT CAN BE SUSTAINED FOR THE LONG TERM.
DR. MARK DYBUL, DEPUTY U.S. GLOBAL AIDS COORDINATOR AND CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER:
The Emergency Plan was the first quantum leap in commitment by the American people in HIV/AIDS, to support the fight against HIV/AIDS globally. That was the first part of an ongoing commitment, a commitment that will continue past the first five years. The American people will stand with the people of the world in this fight, until the fight is won.
ENDING MONTAGE
TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS, CONTACT:
THE PRESIDENT'S EMERGENCY PLAN FOR AIDS RELIEF
www.PEPFAR.gov
THE GLOBAL FUND TO FIGHT AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS AND MALARIA
www.theglobalfund.org
THE JOINT UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME ON HIV/AIDS
www.unaids.org
THE GLOBAL BUSINESS COALITION
www.businessfightsaids.org
CREDITS
PRODUCED BY
Ryan Hill
Josie Swantek
SHOT AND EDITED BY
Ryan Hill
WRITTEN BY
Josie Swantek
NARRATED BY
Lance Lewman
RE-RECORDING MIXER
Benjamin Seaward
MUSIC COMPOSED BY
Lenny Williams
SPECIAL THANKS TO
USAID
The Synergy Project
Tom Walsh
SPECIAL THANKS TO PEPFAR COUNTRY TEAMS
Guyana
Kenya
Mozambique
South Africa
Vietnam
Uganda
Zambia
A PRODUCTION OF
Still Life Projects
www.StillLifeProjects.com
