Elton John Foundation Commemorates World AIDS Day

The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF), a global leader in the fight to end AIDS, commemorates World AIDS Day 2015 by standing in solidarity with the estimated 34 million people around the world currently living with HIV or AIDS and by honoring the lives of the estimated 35 million people who have succumbed to the virus. The Foundation is also calling for more education, increased access to healthcare around the world, and deeper compassion for people living with or affected by HIV and AIDS.����
�
"Since the first World AIDS Day in 1988, we have made significant progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Today, we now know how to prevent the spread of HIV and, thanks to scientific advancements, how to treat it," said Elton John, founder of EJAF. "But there's still more work to be done. Millions of people living with the virus either don't know it or lack access to the healthcare they need to treat it. Furthermore, discrimination and stigma in our healthcare system and society often keeps people who are aware of their HIV-status from seeking treatment. This must end if we want to end AIDS in our lifetime."

EJAF, through its innovative and strategic grantmaking, has been at the forefront of the global fight against HIV and AIDS. The foundation has raised more than $349 million for organizations fighting the epidemic. This year alone the foundation will invest more than $8 million in organizations across the Americas, half of which is earmarked for initiatives in the U.S. South and the Caribbean.

"In order to end AIDS in our lifetime, it is crucial to fund HIV advocacy organizations, to urge people get tested, and to increase access to healthcare for people living with HIV/AIDS and those at risk of contracting the virus," said David Furnish, chairman of EJAF. "We also think it's important to support the communities and people most affected by the epidemic, including LGBT people of color, low-income people, and people in the criminal justice system. It's important to remember that everyone, regardless of their race, geography, sexual orientation, gender identity or criminal background, should have access to life-saving medicines. It's the right thing to do and it's largely what World AIDS Day is all about."

At the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) we believe that AIDS can be beaten. We act on that belief by raising funds for effective programs and policies, and also by speaking out with honesty and compassion about the realities of people's lives. Sir Elton John created EJAF over twenty years ago, first in the United States in 1992 and then in the United Kingdom in 1993. Through hard work and with the help of our network of kind, amazing, creative, and generous friends and supporters, the two foundations together have raised more than $349 million over the past two decades to combat stigma, prevent infections, provide treatment and services, and motivate governments to end AIDS. The U.S. foundation focuses its efforts on programs in the United States, the Americas, and the Caribbean, while the U.K. foundation funds HIV-related work in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Join us in speaking out, taking action, and contributing to our efforts to achieve a world without AIDS. For more information, please visit www.ejaf.org.