UKC chief executive, Stephen Bitti explains the reasons behind
the launch of the ‘DOUKCARE’ campaign
The UKC is the national charity of people living with HIV and Aids. As experts on living with HIV, we work together to represent and support an ever-diversifying community of people affected by HIV in this country and further afield. We also lobby key bodies including government, the NHS, the voluntary sector and international groups on policies affecting improved care for those living with the virus. Our main aim is to promote the ‘voice’ of all people living with HIV and Aids, continually acknowledging the diversity of this voice.
This year we are celebrating the tenth anniversary of UKC and we feel it is timely to mark this milestone in our history by showing that we continue to care enough about the work we do and how it is resourced.
For too long we, and other HIV charities, have placed the burden of our existence on the financial support of a few ‘usual suspect’ donors, but in reality how long can this situation continue?
Don’t misunderstand me, we are extremely grateful for the grants that help us deliver services that benefit those in need; we wouldn’t be here today without this support. However, those of us who work in the HIV sector are becoming increasingly aware that with the continued rise in new HIV diagnoses, the demand for funding from these donors is being spread ever more thinly.
As the UK’s HIV patient group, we feel this is the right time to explore ways in which we can strategically bring together businesses, organisations and individuals who also care enough to work in better partnerships with people living with HIV and Aids.
With this in mind, we have developed our ‘DOUKCARE’ campaign. We launch this on 28 September, the actual date of UKC’s tenth anniversary.
We plan to challenge companies and individuals within the British business community by asking them if THEY CARE enough to contribute advice, expertise, support, services or resources to assist in the ongoing fight against HIV and Aids in the UK and worldwide.
There are currently over 50,000 of us living with HIV and Aids in the UK. Yes, this figure is frightening in scale but with over 42 million infected with HIV globally, the UK’s situation is a small mirror of the worldwide HIV and Aids pandemic.
This is why we intend to focus contributions made to the ‘DOUKCARE’ campaign towards the work of the UKC and its support of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and other associated initiatives in the developing world.
The aims of the ‘DOUKCARE’ campaign are:
Over the coming twelve months we hope that we will see the benefits that this type of challenge can bring as we begin to work even more closely with others towards recognising our joint responsibilities.
If we are to succeed in this fight we must all be prepared to show we care enough to re-examine our current operations, explore new partnerships with open minds. And in doing so, create relevant, practical, adequately resourced solutions that benefit everyone living with HIV and Aids, not just in the UK, but globally.
