Ricafrica is proud to partner with Asili Research Alliance to raise funds to help people living with HIV in East Africa. Ricafrica and Asili have worked together to design these beautiful "Stand Up to HIV" bracelets that are handmade in Kenya. 30% of proceeds from sales of each $15 bracelet will be donated to Asili efforts to help people living with HIV.
Asili is a non-profit organization that is committed to bringing health care equity to East Africa Among other things, Asili works with the National Institute for Medical Research and the Institute for Traditional Medicine in Tanzania to conduct clinical trials on plant-based treatments, they help make effective treatments available to people who cannot access pharmaceutical medications due to cost, low supply and lack of clinics, and they educate patients and communities about HIV and how to mitigate the transmission to others.
According to AVERT, East and Southern Africa is the region hardest hit by HIV. It is home to 6.2% of the world’s population but over half of the total number of people living with HIV in the world (19.4 million people). In 2016, there were 790,000 new HIV infections, 43% of the global total. In 2016, 1.4 million people were living with HIV in Tanzania. This equates to an estimated HIV prevalence of 4.7% In the same year, 55,000 people were newly infected with HIV, and 33,000 people died from an AIDS-related illness. Tanzania has made significant gains in the scale-up of its antiretroviral (ART) programmes, with the number of people on ART steadily increasing since 2010. The percentage of adults (aged 15 and over) living with HIV in Tanzania and receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART) stood at 63% in 2016. The Tanzanian Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) has identified a number of challenges relating to the scale-up of ART – including limited financial resource base for ART and for testing; weak supply chain management systems; and poor drug management and drug stock-outs. Asili's research and efforts aim to help improve access to effective treatments for HIV.
For More information about Asili Research Alliance click here.