It embarrasses us just a little to have the ‘donate now ’ button gracing every page. But there are two grounds on which it is, we feel, justified. First, the issue itself cries out for financial support. So long as the work is effective, and people struggling against the AIDS virus benefit, funding is obviously vital. Second, it’s difficult to raise money for “advocacy”, and advocacy is the raison d’etre of AIDS-Free World. Unfortunately, it isn’t easy to quantify the results of advocacy. It’s not like giving money for food or school fees or drugs where you can tally the exact numbers of beneficiaries and show how the dollars get the work done. If you’re advocating for an increase in treatment, or a new women’s agency, or laws against sexual violence, or programmes to respond to AIDS among people with disabilities, it’s much tougher to show that progress is directly attributable to the voices raised or arguments made. But the truth is that without advocacy, almost nothing moves forward.

The Government of South Africa would still be denying the connection between HIV and AIDS if advocacy hadn’t forced a change in policy. The roll-out of treatment around the developing world would still be suffering incremental paralysis without advocacy. There’d be no paediatric drugs for children without advocacy. Laws against rape would not exist without advocacy, and rape transmits the virus. Countries would not have recognized the role of grandmothers looking after AIDS orphans if advocacy hadn’t pummeled governments into submission. School fees would still be preventing children orphaned by AIDS from getting an education if advocates hadn’t intervened.

People living with AIDS would be entirely marginalized if they weren’t led by courageous and tough-minded advocates. The billions of dollars necessary to do battle with AIDS would never be in prospect were it not for advocacy at every level, up to and including the G8 Summits. The agencies of the United Nations would be unaccountable except for the determined scrutiny of advocates.

And that’s why the motto of AIDS-Free World is “Speaking Up and Speaking Out”. We will not be silenced. We will bow to no sacred cows. No matter what the issue, our voice will be heard in clear, principled and uncompromising fashion. We think we can help to move the AIDS agenda forward. That’s our determined goal. But it will take unrelenting advocacy to do so. And advocacy must be financed. That’s why the ‘donate button’ leaps off the page. Thank you.

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