The National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) and POZ magazine today announced the launch of a new initiative known as the Denver Principles Project. The project aims to encourage a community-wide recommitment to the historic Denver Principles—a self-empowerment manifesto written in 1983 by a group of people living with HIV/AIDS—with the ultimate goal of strengthening the voice of people with HIV by increasing NAPWA membership to 100,000 by December 1, 2009, World AIDS Day.
More than 25 years into the epidemic, HIV/AIDS continues to take a tremendous toll on the United States. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently reported it underestimated the incidence of new HIV infections in 2006. Data now show approximately 56,300 new HIV infections occurred in 2006 versus the previously estimated 40,000. According to the CDC, more than 1.1 million people were living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S. at the end of 2006, and approximately 25 percent were not aware of their HIV status.
“As the HIV epidemic continues to expand in America, affecting all communities regardless of race, gender or sexuality, people living with HIV need a trusted, united voice to represent their diverse needs,” says Frank Oldham, Jr., NAPWA’s president and CEO. “NAPWA and POZ are joining forces in The Denver Principles Project to amplify the voice of all Americans living with HIV.”
The Denver Principles, originally developed in 1983, require that the voices of people living with HIV be heard. It asserts the right of people living with HIV to participate in the decision-making processes—at all levels—that fundamentally affects their lives.
“With a vastly increased membership, NAPWA will be better able to advocate for effective HIV prevention and care, as well as to combat the stigma that surrounds HIV and impedes education, prevention and treatment of HIV,” says Regan Hofmann, POZ’s editor-in-chief. “Being able to produce and broadly distribute prevention and treatment information is our best chance at stopping the spread of HIV. Every dollar donated to The Denver Principles Project will save lives.”
On the occasion of its 25th anniversary, NAPWA, together with POZ, has launched this initiative in an effort to broaden NAPWA membership to include a diverse group of individuals and organizations. With a larger and more representative membership, NAPWA will be able to advocate more effectively on behalf of the whole HIV/AIDS community and to deliver lifesaving treatment education to more people living with, and affected by, HIV/AIDS.
Individuals or organizations wishing to donate and/or join NAWPA can do so by visiting www.napwa.org. Donations also are being accepted to sponsor HIV-positive individuals who cannot afford NAPWA’s membership fee. NAPWA is committed to finding sponsors for every person with HIV who wants to be a NAPWA member but is unable to pay the membership fee.
About NAPWA
NAPWA is the representative voice of the one million plus Americans living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. Founded in 1983, NAPWA is the world’s oldest coalition of people living with AIDS, as well as the oldest national AIDS organization. NAPWA provides community education and leadership training for people living with HIV. Among the programs NAPWA has developed are National HIV Testing Day, AIDSWatch, the Ryan White Youth Conferences and the Staying Alive Conference. For more information, please visit www.napwa.org.
About POZ
POZ is the premier lifestyle, treatment and advocacy magazine for people living with—and those affected by—HIV and AIDS. The award-winning magazine and website (poz.com) provide the most complete and expert HIV/AIDS information available in the United States. Together, the magazine and website reach more than 70 percent of all of those people living with HIV/AIDS who are aware of their status. The website provides extensive opportunities for both public and private social networking, and represents one of the largest communities of openly HIV-positive people in the world. For more information, please visit www.poz.com.
