FACE AIDS was a student-led

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

created in 2005 that mobilized

student A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementar ...

s in the fight to end

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

. FACE AIDS staff supported

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

and

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

campus A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a college campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls, student centers or dining halls, and park-like se ...

es across the country with personalized training as they raised funds to support the life-saving work of

Partners In Health Partners In Health (PIH) is an international nonprofit public health organization founded in 1987 by Paul Farmer, Ophelia Dahl, Thomas J. White, Todd McCormack, and Jim Yong Kim. Partners in Health provides healthcare in the poorest areas of ...

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

-affected communities in

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

. FACE AIDS chapters ensured that conversations about HIV/AIDS stayed active among their peers, and mobilized the next generation of leaders in social impact. In 2014, FACE AIDS was invited to become a part of Partners In Health (PIH) as the new student branch of their community organizing program, PIH , Engage. In August 2014, FACE AIDS fully integrated their programs with PIH and closed operations.

History

FACE AIDS began in 2005, when three students lost a friend to AIDS. While

volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

ing at a

refugee camp A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for internally displaced peo ...

, Jonny, Katie, and Lauren befriended a woman named Mama Katele. She was one of the few openly HIV-positive people in the camp, but despite knowing her status, she became sicker because she had no access to

health care Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

. Outraged by the devastating effects of AIDS on Katele, the stigma attached to the woman, and disparities in

access, Jonny, Katie, and Lauren founded FACE AIDS in an effort to help their friend and to address these injustices. Mama Katele died without ever receiving a dose of

anti-retroviral The management of HIV/AIDS normally includes the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs as a strategy to control HIV infection. There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of the HIV life-cycle. The use of multip ...

therapy, but her life inspired Jonny, Katie, and Lauren to continue to confront these injustices and to build a national network of committed students.

Accomplishments

By the time FACE AIDS closed in August 2014, FACE AIDS established chapters at over 200 colleges and high schools across the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and raised over $3 million for Partners In Health. FACE AIDS sponsored 7 years of the Ride Against AIDS, a cross-country bike ride which aimed to (re)ignite conversations about HIV/AIDS. Together, the RAA teams raised over $300,000. FACE AIDS also worked in Rwanda until 2012, establishing chapters at 13 health centers in eastern Rwanda. FACE AIDS directly employed over 350 HIV-affected Rwandans and supported their socioeconomic empowerment through structured savings and business training programs.

References

{{reflist

External links

FACE AIDS

Partners In Health
HIV/AIDS organizations in the United States