In 2003, the U.S. government made a commitment to funding the fight against AIDS, and as a result, millions of people's lives have been saved: 4 million people were able to access HIV treatment through the Global Fund; 114,000 babies were born HIV free; 3.8 million orphans received care; millions of HIV infections have been averted. But massive cuts to the Global Fund and PEPFAR are being proposed.
The total cuts proposed are $813 million for all global AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria programs. As a result:
-483,000 people will die because they will not receive AIDS treatment
-68,000 babies will be born HIV+ because their mothers did not receive prevention drugs
-700,000 people will die because their AIDS treatment will end
-12 million families without bed nets to prevent malaria will be at risk
-434,000 people are at risk of death without necessary tuberculosis treatment
It is estimated that the cuts will result in the unnecessary deaths of one million people.
MCC works with 70 partners worldwide, providing orphan care, homebased care, prevention education, and medical supplies. And the partners that MCC works with have been the recipients of PEPFAR funding, and have been hit hard by the cuts. People who have been receiving desperately needed ARVs have now stopped receiving them. This is a death sentence. The cuts impact children, teens, all the way to seniors. Joanna Hiebert Bergen, MCC's Binational HIV/AIDS Program Coordinator, has seen the impact of these cuts firsthand, as she travels and visits MCCs AIDS partners. It has been devastating for her to see, and difficult for her to know how to support the partners in their work, knowing that funding is being cut from so many sources, including MCC. Ten years ago MCCs budget for HIV/AIDS work was 2 million. A few years later it was reduced to 1.8 million, and may be even further reduced. This money is shared among the 70 partners.
Darryl and I enjoy the concerts that we perform at, and are glad for the opportunity to make music and sing together. But we often say to each other that we don't do this for the music. The money raised from the four cds is amazing. But this is about AIDS. We will keep performing to raise awareness and funds for MCCs AIDS work. And we sing because of AIDS and the critical need that is present. Now more than ever.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
MCCBC's Single Parent Support Project
A few pics from our time at the MCC Thrift Shop in Surrey, BC, singing at a fundraiser for MCCBC's Single Parent Support Project. Very cool program.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Home from BC
Hi everyone,
We are just back home from a great weekend in BC! We were invited to sing/speak at MCCBC's annual celebrations, to raise awareness and funds for the work of MCC worldwide. Abe Janzen, Executive Director of MCC Alberta, and me and Darryl spent the last three days singing/speaking/ and learning about the great work of MCCBC, and meeting really wonderful people and supporters. On Friday evening we were in Abbotsford at Bakerview MB Church, where 340 people gathered to support MCC. Saturday evening we traveled to Richmond, BC, and were welcomed by 130 good folks. Sunday morning, we "crashed" the service at Highland MB in Abbotsford, where Abe preached an inspiring sermon, and Darryl and I sang some songs. And Sunday afternoon we were in Surrey, singing to clients, staff and donors of an amazing new program of MCCBC called the Single Parents Support Project, which works with single parents, some of whom are HIV+, many of them newcomers to Canada, and all of them experiencing economic difficulties and barriers. It was a highlight of our time in BC. Four women shared their stories and struggles of raising children on their own, finding affordable housing, work, and dealing with significant trauma. It was an honour to be in the room with them and to hear their stories. A humbling afternoon.
Darryl has added a video from this weekend of Abe telling a story about a woman that he met in Nepal a few months ago, as well as a clip of the two of us singing "Be Thou My Vision". My favourite hymn.
It has been a while since we have blogged. Sorry about that. We will try to be more consistent and diligent. The cause is so important, both here in Canada, and worldwide.
Thank you for reading.
We are just back home from a great weekend in BC! We were invited to sing/speak at MCCBC's annual celebrations, to raise awareness and funds for the work of MCC worldwide. Abe Janzen, Executive Director of MCC Alberta, and me and Darryl spent the last three days singing/speaking/ and learning about the great work of MCCBC, and meeting really wonderful people and supporters. On Friday evening we were in Abbotsford at Bakerview MB Church, where 340 people gathered to support MCC. Saturday evening we traveled to Richmond, BC, and were welcomed by 130 good folks. Sunday morning, we "crashed" the service at Highland MB in Abbotsford, where Abe preached an inspiring sermon, and Darryl and I sang some songs. And Sunday afternoon we were in Surrey, singing to clients, staff and donors of an amazing new program of MCCBC called the Single Parents Support Project, which works with single parents, some of whom are HIV+, many of them newcomers to Canada, and all of them experiencing economic difficulties and barriers. It was a highlight of our time in BC. Four women shared their stories and struggles of raising children on their own, finding affordable housing, work, and dealing with significant trauma. It was an honour to be in the room with them and to hear their stories. A humbling afternoon.
Darryl has added a video from this weekend of Abe telling a story about a woman that he met in Nepal a few months ago, as well as a clip of the two of us singing "Be Thou My Vision". My favourite hymn.
It has been a while since we have blogged. Sorry about that. We will try to be more consistent and diligent. The cause is so important, both here in Canada, and worldwide.
Thank you for reading.
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