MSM Initiative
The world’s inability to prevent widespread HIV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) is one of the greatest public health failures in the fight against AIDS. In an effort to reduce rates of HIV infection and transmission among MSM in resource-limited countries, amfAR established the MSM Initiative in 2007.
The mission of the MSM Initiative is to support and empower grassroots MSM organizations, build understanding and awareness of HIV epidemics among MSM, and advocate for effective policies and increased funding. For more information on HIV among MSM worldwide, visit the Global Forum on MSM & HIV or UNAIDS.
MSM Initiative Grantee Suffers Grave Losses in Haitian Earthquake
January 14, 2010—Among the thousands who lost their lives in Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti were 14 members attending a support group meeting at the offices of SEROvie, an amfAR-supported community organization that provides outreach and HIV/AIDS-related services to men who have sex with men (MSM). One staff member also remains missing.
SEROvie, which received community awards from amfAR’s MSM Initiative in 2008 and 2009, has been working with MSM—a group that is particularly vulnerable to HIV in Haiti due to stigma and discrimination—to provide medical and psychosocial support, and has been building a network of providers who offer HIV services targeted at MSM. Tuesday’s devastation compounds the difficulties of working within what was already a fragile infrastructure, and represents an enormous loss to the HIV/AIDS community in Haiti.
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) has set up a specific fund for SEROvie. To support them directly, visit http://www.iglhrc.org/cgi-bin/iowa/article/takeaction/globalactionalerts/1074.html.
To learn more about how you can support general relief efforts in Haiti, visit http://www.google.com/relief/haitiearthquake/.