Report of President to the AGM of AIDS Foundation 23 June 2010
Report of President to the AGM of AIDS Foundation 23 June 2010
It gives me great pleasure to report to this Annual General Meeting of the AIDS Foundation of Barbados Inc in my capacity as President, which post I have now held for three years.
At the start of my term my principal objective was to develop the Foundation to a point where it was financially sustainable and staffed by able committed professionals with a clear plan of action. Furthermore, I hoped that I would be able to contribute to the AIDS Foundation becoming recognized as the leading NGO in Barbados dealing with the continuing challenge of HIV/AIDS, providing ongoing and valuable services to our working people and positioned as a respected partner by the business community, the Government, the trade union movement and civil society.
I think we have achieved, in large part, all of these primary goals. We have raised in excess of $1M in funding in the last two years as reported in our audited statements. We have a staff of dedicated professionals who are building reputations as leaders in HIV education in the region. We have our own offices and a detailed strategic plan and intervention template which guide us daily in our work. We have a wide ranging Board with senior representatives from the corporate community, from the National HIV/AIDS Commission, from Government service, from the medical fraternity, from civil society and representing the trade union movement.
We are most certainly ready to move to the next level, which will require deeper and greater funding commitments from our partners and “investors” as well as further staff development and enhancement. I am convinced that we now have the institutional structure, the strategic partners, the leadership the committed work focus and expertise as well as secure finances and sound organization to take the next bold steps.
Our first objective has always been to raise consciousness amongst working people and their families of the threat of the HIV virus and the ways in which we can ensure that we do not place ourselves at risk. To achieve optimal success we need access to all workplaces across this island.
We boast of having access to in excess of 10,000 working people who work with companies that are members of our organization. However, this is a small percentage of the non Governmental workforce in Barbados. We must be able to deliver our message to all working people if we are to fulfill our mandate.
Our work has only just begun and it will not be completed in my lifetime. It is all the more important to avoid congratulating ourselves but rather to rededicate ourselves to this persistent problem; this long term challenge.
We need a greater involvement of more companies in the Foundation but we also need more leadership and commitment from those who have already taken the first steps. This is made more difficult by the current economic recession which causes our concerns to be deemed less important than previously.
The reality in Barbados today is that the number of persons infected continues to rise and we are still at risk of the virus reaching epidemic proportions. The stigma of AIDS does a disservice to the message - that we continue to be in crisis - as the average citizen or business manager is unaware of the extent of the challenge. The majority of the general public is unaware that HIV/AIDS remains the most important health crisis in our society.
If we were all aware of the extent of the challenge in the way that health professional specializing in this field are so aware then our continuing national response would be more powerful. We cannot blame Government, which has consistently preached the message that this is a societal problem of fundamental importance to the long term well being of our economy and the social fabric of our society. It now rests with each individual to raise their awareness and act appropriately.
This is the end of my term as President. I am honoured to have served but I feel strongly that new leadership is now required in this crusade. I will continue to serve as a director of the Foundation and to make myself fully available to the new President.
I should like to thank all Board members, staff and investors, as well as our strategic partners for their support and encouragement during my term of office.
Thank you