Sufficient resources needed to maintain progress against AIDS, TB, malaria

"This week, heads of state, celebrities and CEOs will attend U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's 'Every Woman, Every Child' dinner in New York," an event that "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," Lucy Chesire, executive director and secretary to the board of TB ACTION Group, writes in the Huffington Post's "The Big Push" blog. "Ten years ago, tackling HIV, tuberculosis [TB] and malaria seemed an almost impossible task. Today we can see the beginning of the end of these three killer diseases," she continues, adding, "But to make these historic achievements possible we need sufficient resources available!"

Chesire introduces the "Here I Am" campaign, "a global call on world leaders to save millions of lives by supporting a fully funded Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria," and writes, "As a TB-HIV advocate from Nairobi (Kenya), I will bring you the stories from the grassroots over the next 12 months ..., post[ing] 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." She introduces the first video, "a collection of statements from women in support of the Global Fund," and states, "We should all use these and the following stories to encourage policy- and decision-makers to increase their financial support to the Global Fund" (9/24).