U.S. to honor outstanding HIV and AIDS activists

In honor of World AIDS Day the annual Auxillia Chimusoro Awards will be presented Thursday 29 November. The Awards go to individuals and organizations that have excelled in mitigating the stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe.  The ceremony will be held at the National Art Gallery of Zimbabwe.

The purpose of the awards is to recognize and reward individuals and organizations who have demonstrated commitment and courage in breaking the silence, reducing stigma and discrimination, and caring for infected and affected people.  The awards were established by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2000.  This event marks the 7th annual Auxillia Chimusoro awards ceremony.

James McGee, U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe, will officiate at the awards ceremony

Honoured guests include Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Dr David Parirenyatwa, National AIDS Council Executive Director Dr. Tapuwa Mugure, representatives of the U.S. Embassy, including Ambassador James McGee and USAID Director Ms. Karen Freeman, and other international and local AIDS service organizations.

Past winners of the Auxillia Chimusoro Awards include journalists Sarah Tikiwa and Bertha Shoko, Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Welfare, popular musician Oliver Mtukudzi, medical practitioner, Paul Chimedza, and the Kingdom Bank.

The categories for nomination include:  Media, Arts, and Culture; Community – Breakers of Silence and Advocacy; Leadership Awards including Community Empowerment, Gender Equality, Greater Involvement of People Livings with HIV and AIDS, and Orphans and Vulnerable Children and Youth; Corporate Responsibility; and a Special Recognition Award.  Award winners will receive awards in the form of an inscribed plaque and certificates for ongoing commitments to mitigate HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe.

The awards were named after Auxillia Chimusoro, the first person in Zimbabwe to openly disclose her HIV and AIDS positive status, in 1987, a time when silence shrouded HIV and AIDS.

The U.S. Government spends approximately $30 million on HIV and AIDS programming in Zimbabwe per year. The funds support a range of prevention, treatment, and care interventions.  The program is implemented by USAID, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense, and the U.S. Embassy’s Public Affairs Section. 

Issued by Paul Engelstad, Public Affairs Officer
U.S. Embassy Harare
November 26, 2007