Here I Am – Bringing the Voice of the People to World Leaders

Lucy Chesire, Executive director and secretary to the TB ACTION Group Board, speaks about the Global Fund’s “Here I Am” campaign in the Huffington Post:

This week, heads of state, celebrities and CEOs will attend UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s “Every Woman, Every Child” dinner in New York. This dinner will highlight the amazing contribution of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to the health of women and children in developing countries.

Ten years ago, tackling HIV, tuberculosis and malaria seemed an almost impossible task. Today we can see the beginning of the end of these three killer diseases. But to make these historic achievements possible we need sufficient resources available! The Global Fund has already shown convincing results, but a fully funded Global Fund can end the diseases in our lifetime!

As a TB-HIV advocate from Nairobi (Kenya), I will bring you the stories from the grassroots over the next 12 months. In this period the Global Fund will campaign for its replenishment for 2014-2016. In support of their “The Big Push” campaign, I will post a Here I Am campaign video story every day of people who have experienced firsthand on a day-to-day basis how Global Fund investments have changed their lives, the lives of their loved ones and their communities. Because that’s what the Fund is all about: saving lives, day-by-day.

In line with the UN Secretary General’s focus on women and children, today’s Here I Am campaign video is a special one; a collection of statements from women in support of the Global Fund. We should all use these and the following stories to encourage policy and decision makers to increase their financial support to the Global Fund. You can forward these stories to your representatives and political leaders, and to your personal networks to let them know how important the Global Fund is to the lives of millions of people. Many, many more stories will follow on this page and if you are interested in participating in this campaign, please go to www.hereiamcampaign.org.

http://vimeo.com/49979975

Lucy Chesire is a TB-HIV advocate from Kenya, and Alternate Board Member of the Global Fund Board Communities Delegation.

The Here I Am campaign is a global call on world leaders to save millions of lives by supporting a fully funded Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Here I Am brings the voices of people that are directly affected by AIDS, TB and malaria into dialogue about decisions that affect their lives and the lives of millions of others in their countries. Through video testimonies from all over the world, campaign ambassador advocacy, online actions and on-the-ground mobilizations, the Here I Am campaign is building collective power to end three of the world’s most deadly diseases.