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Grammy Award-winning singer Alicia
Keys recently met with women who are part of an HIV program at United Medical
Center in Washington to discuss their experiences with HIV, including the fear
and stigma associated with the disease. Keys has previously traveled to Africa
and India to meet with similar women and is co-founder of Keep a Child Alive,
which provides AIDS treatment, food, and other support to children and families
affected by HIV and AIDS in Africa and India. Keys announced that she wants to
bridge the gap between domestic and international conversations about HIV.
Keys is working with the Kaiser
Family Foundation for “Empowered,” a campaign launched in March to educate
women about HIV and provide grants to community-based projects for that
purpose. The campaign includes outreach through public service advertisements,
social media, and community programs and encourages women to get educated about
HIV/AIDS, talk with family and friends, protect themselves and loved ones, get
tested, prevent transmission, and adhere to treatment.
Keys is also leading the Empowered
Community Grants program with Kaiser and AIDS United that will donate up to
$25,000 grants to community-level projects that focus on women and HIV. The
campaign is scheduled to run for five years; publish a report annually on
women’s experiences with HIV and AIDS; and examine cultural changes regarding
education, misconceptions, and stigma associated with the disease. Valerie
Jarrett, a White House senior advisor who has worked previously with Keys on
women and health issues, gave her support to “Empowered” because she considered
it part of the president’s vision for comprehensive health. Jarrett commented
that Keys’ participation highlights how every individual can play a role.
According to Kaiser, of the 1.1
million individuals living with HIV in the United States, one in four are
women, and women of color account for about two-thirds of new HIV infections
among women.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
