AID FOR AIDS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to empowering communities at risk of HIV and the population at large, by developing their abilities and capacities in comprehensive prevention through access to treatment, advocacy, education and training to improve their quality of life and reduce stigma and discrimination. Many of AID FOR AIDS programs are relevant to the subjects addressed in the Summit as one of the focus points that will be addressed is tackling inequalities. At AID FOR AIDS we focus on the most vulnerable communities both in the New York Area and throughout Latin America.

AFA began its work with the innovative AIDS Treatment Access Program (ATAP), which provides access to antiretroviral (ARV) treatment to people who need but cannot afford it in the developing world. ATAP is the largest program of its kind in the world, and to date, has re-distributed nearly $120 million in HIV medication, effectively reaching close to 20,000 people with HIV in 43 countries.

Our Case Management Program provides assistance to people with HIV case management, individual and group counseling, primary HIV education, one-on-one adherence education, a free legal clinic, as well as financial management. Our office also refers its clients to a host of legal and social services providers including immigration counseling, housing and public assistance, and ADAP/Medicaid as well as primary care, dental, mental health, and domestic violence assistance.

The Education and Training Program conducts workshops and interventions aimed at generating behavioral changes in our clients with HIV and high-risk negative people. All of our education and training activities are peer-education interventions based on Bandura?s Social Cognitive Theory with a major community component. These include: The Empowerment workshop series which encourages development of personal strengths; the Health Education workshop that complements the continuous one-on-one treatment adherence education provided by our case managers to all of our clients throughout the year; and our Peer Educator Training were we trained a group of our clients as peer leaders and educators.

These programs all focus on the empowerment of the individual and the development of leadership. They also address the need to equalize opportunity, education, and create healthier populations ensuring that no one is left behind and there is sustainable health development.
The work done by AID FOR AIDS can be divided into three categories: access to treatment and case management, education and training, and advocacy. Because our organization is based in New York, we have programs in place to help address the needs of HIV positive Latino immigrants in the city. Our work is also international, with offices in Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, Panama, and Venezuela.

Some of our other programs include:

Our Outreach and HIV Testing Program has been providing community-based primary prevention education and HIV testing, since becoming certified by the NYC-DOH in 2009. Our outreach and HIV testing activities are conducted in four types of community venues (all are on a voluntary, walk-in basis): at waiting areas of NYC consulates of Latin American countries, at community pharmacies, at selected community events (parades, health fairs, community organizations), and at our offices.

AID FOR AIDS also works with organizations and people with HIV by providing them with the tools they need to defend themselves in response to the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Since its inception in 2006, the surveillance tool Observatorio Latino has become the premier online forum in Latin America, serving as a watchdog for programs financed by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Our work in alliance with other organizations and agencies in the region, and through the networks connecting them, has been one of the most successful strategies to help obtain our achievements in the areas of community participation and decision-making processes. AFA has empowered more than 15 community-based organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean through spreading information to effect desired changes at the political level.
YES - ANNUAL-REPORT-20141.pdf Maria Eugenia Maury - Venezuelan and American
Alejandro Santo Domingo - Colombian and American
Graciela Dauhjare - Dominican
Alexis Cespedes Duffy - Paraguayan
Donald Dye - American
William A. Haseltine - American
Julian Iragorri - Colombian
Laura Messina Pilson - Dominican
David Roth - American
Arturo Sarukhan - Mexican
Terry Riley - American Bylaws24.pdf