AIDS Funding Cuts Kill

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.