Today is World AIDS Day. Instead of spending $4 on an overpriced cup of mediocre coffee out of which a paltry 5 cents will be donated to the Global Fund, I encourage you to donate 100% of your $4 (or more!) to an organization working to help people living with HIV/AIDS or those who suffer from its secondary effects.
One of my favorite organizations working on this issue is Global Strategies for HIV/AIDS Prevention. They are mostly volunteer-run, which keeps overhead low, and work with existing in-country health care organizations, which means they get fast results. I've seen their work on the ground in the DRC and have full confidence that they use their resources better than most. It costs Global Strategies less than $1 to provide a dose of nevirapine to an HIV+ mother at delivery of her infant. Getting those medications to pregnant mothers at delivery is effective in preventing transmission of the disease to the child about 50% of the time.
That strikes me as a much better use of $4 than spending it at Starbucks.
We now return to our regularly scheduled links:
- Somali pirates capture a big one.
- The 2012 AIDS conference will take place in the USA.
- Ketchup-packet landmine awareness-raising takes a prize in the annals of badvocacy. No question.
- Need to win hearts and minds? Lithuania knows how to bring it.
- Quality from Nollywood?
- A report from Liberia's first surfing competition.
- Chris Blattman provides excellent advice on asking for recommendation letters.
- Dubai remains the craziest place I've ever been. And it's all falling apart.
- Cool new blog watch: Dads in Short Shorts