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Media releases > Lord Chris Smith to Champion VSO's HIV & AIDS work
(08 March 2006)
International development charity VSO today announced that Lord Chris Smith is to be its new HIV & AIDS Goal Patron. In his new role, Lord Smith will help the charity and its partner organisations to raise the profile of their HIV & AIDS work and secure policy changes to reduce the burden of HIV & AIDS care on women and girls.
Working through volunteers, VSO supports its local partner organisations across Africa and Asia to tackle the stigma and discrimination surrounding HIV & AIDS, expand appropriate prevention efforts and increase the availability of treatment, care and support for those infected and affected by the pandemic. Volunteers offer their professional skills in a number of different areas including management, fundraising, advocacy and health care support enabling communities to tackle the HIV & AIDS crisis.
On 08 March 2006 Lord Chris Smith chaired a panel discussion for VSO centred on reducing the burden of HIV & AIDS care on women and girls in Africa. Speakers included Robin Gorna, Senior AIDS Advisor and team leader from the Department of International Development, Augustine Chella from VSO Zambia and Jennifer Gatsi Mallet from the International Community of Women Living with HIV & AIDS (ICW).
VSO’s landmark report Gendering AIDS (2003) highlighted the gender inequalities driving the HIV & AIDS pandemic including the burden of caring for the sick falling on women and girls and unequal access to prevention information and treatment. Today’s event will take an in-depth look at some of these issues, the knock on effect this has on women’s vulnerability to infection and ability to step out of poverty, and the most appropriate responses, including the increased involvement of men in delivering home-based care.
Speaking about his new role as VSO’s HIV & AIDS goal patron, Lord Chris Smith says:
"VSO volunteers are making a valuable contribution in the fight against HIV & AIDS at a grassroots level. By using their professional skills to help local organisations and governments challenge stigma, raise awareness and increase prevention programmes, VSO volunteers are often at the front line in the challenge to combat the pandemic. Ensuring that everyone affected by HIV & AIDS can have access to the best care and treatment is a vital cause and I’m delighted to be supporting VSO and its partner organisations in their work." Editors' notes- For more information please contact Leona Daly in the press office.
- VSO is an international development charity that works through volunteers. Since it was established in 1958 over 30,000 skilled professionals have shared their expertise with colleagues in some of the world’s poorest countries.
- Chris Smith became a Labour MP in 1981 and later Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1997). He returned to the backbenches in 2001, standing down from the House of Commons in 2005. Immediately afterwards he was made a life peer, taking his seat in the House of Lords. He is currently Director of the Clore Leadership programme.
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