(by Astrid C. Wenzke)
 
At a recent luncheon meeting the Rotary Club of Tortola presented a cheque in the amount of $2,300.00 to Dr. Ronald McAnaney, Chairman of the HIV-AIDS Foundation. This cheque will serve to sponsor one person to attend the 2011 Caribbean HIV Conference, to be held from November 18-21 in Nassau, Bahamas under theme: “Strengthening Evidence To Achieve Sustainable Action”
 
The 2011 Caribbean HIV Conference will sharpen the focus on HIV in the Caribbean, the region with the World's second highest adult HIV prevalence. In 2008 UNAIDS reported that approximately 240,000 people in the region were living with HIV, 20,000 new infections occurred, and 12,000 deaths resulted from AIDS-related illnesses.   Over the course of November 18–21, 2011, a wide range of Caribbean HIV stakeholders will assemble again to build on earlier successes and to demonstrate the synergistic results of regional cooperation and collaboration. The conference is expected to attract 2,000–2,500 participants and will highlight scientific research findings, implementation lessons learned, skills-building tools and networking opportunities.  
The Conference organizers welcomed ABSTRACTS to be submitted for presentation.  Six hundred twenty-three (623) were received from HIV stakeholders in 32 countries and territories.  Eighty-six (86) percent were submitted by authors in the Caribbean.  The HIV-AIDS Foundation (BVI) Limited submitted an ABSTRACT which was chosen to be presented at the Conference.  This ABSTRACT was written by Dr. Ronald McAnaney and is titled:  “A Community Responds To HIV”.  The ABSTRACT focuses on the development of the HIV-AIDS Foundation as a non-Government not-for-profit charitable organization and its success to mobilize the private sector of our community to provide “free” HIV testing for pregnant women and “free” medication and follow-up medical tests for people living with HIV.      Participation at this Conference will provide networking opportunities for the HIV-AIDS Foundation members and enhance their skills and abilities to develop programmes to reduce and halt HIV in the British Virgin Islands. 
 
 
Photo by Astrid C. Wenzke
Rotary President Brian Liverpool (left) presents cheques to Dr. McAnaney