GLOBAL AIDS ALLIANCE ACTION ALERT: 400,000 reasons

[Guest guest]

GLOBAL

AIDS ALLIANCE

ACTION ALERT: 400,000 reasons

Dear

Friend,

For months

we have been talking about the importance of fully funding the Global Fund to

Fight AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria. Now is our last chance to fix the funding

gap that the US Congress created. Hundreds of thousands of lives hang in the

balance while our Senators discuss the necessity of spending this money. $750

million is what stands between life and death for the approximately 400,000

people the Global Fund could help if the US lived up to its obligations and

fully funded its fair share contribution.

Today,

May 12, 2009 at 2:15 EST the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations meets to decide the fate of the

Global Fund's current funding crisis. We all must act immediately.

Tell

your Senator we must fully fund our share of the Global Fund.

Congress

appropriated $900 million to the Global Fund this year.This falls $750 million

short of the US

fair share contribution of 1.65 billion. Funding this $750 million gap will

help to ensure the Global Fund does not have to cut funding for programs it has

already pledged to help.

Tell

your Senator today that the US must make up this difference or risk derailing

the Global Fund's progress.

This funding

is truly an emergency. Without significant commitment to funding the Global

Fund will have $0 to launch any programs in 2010. The US' chronic underfunding of a

proven life-saver will result in huge setbacks of the Global Fund and its

ability to save lives.

Additional Facts on the Global Fund:

For every dollar the US commits, the rest of the

world matches another two dollars.

The Global Fund works closely with the

President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), so we know the dollars

are well spent and targeted appropriately.

Historically, the US has been a strong supporter

of the Global Fund, traditionally supplying close to one-third of the

Fund's total budget.

The Global Fund is unique in that it includes the

voices of communities affected by AIDS, TB and malaria, and civil society,

at the decision-making table.

Thank you

so much for all that you do,

Grassroots Coordinator

Global AIDS Alliance