Speech by Nigerian Father Living With HIV Leads to White House Invitation -- December 1, 2000

WASHINGTON, DC -- Impressed by a speech about living with HIV/AIDS at an event that he called "one of the most moving of my presidency," President Bill Clinton invited the speaker, John Ibekwe, and his family to attend the White House World AIDS Day Summit 2000 in Washington, DC, November 30 to December 5.

Along with Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and thousands of community members, President Clinton heard Ibekwe tell of his family's experience with HIV/AIDS in Abuja, Nigeria, August 27, 2000. In his speech, which is reprinted in the December 2000 issue of IMPACT on HIV magazine, Ibekwe urged both presidents to serve as powerful advocates against the pervasive stigma and denial associated with the virus.

President Clinton referred to Ibekwe's courageous speech and its impact at a World AIDS Day event for religious leaders and HIV/AIDS advocates at Howard University in Washington, DC, December 1. He recounted the family's story, from John and Angela Ibekwe's struggle to convince their church that they should marry even though she was HIV-positive, to their success in securing the antiretroviral drugs that enabled their daughter to be born without the virus.

"When he told this story, the President of Nigeria, President Obasanjo, and his wife, stood on the stage and they embraced John and his wife," President Clinton said to the audience at Howard University. "I'm told the image had an electrifying impact all over Nigeria on how people should think about and deal with people with AIDS."

John Ibekwe is one of the remarkable people featured in the current issue of IMPACT on HIV for making a difference in the global response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Also profiled is a performing artist from Guyana who used his extraordinary talents to educate others about the virus that was to end his life at age 41.

Other articles in this issue of IMPACT on HIV examine:

• FHI's comprehensive program in Cambodia, which empowers those most at risk of HIV to protect themselves from the virus and supports families already affected by the epidemic. Surveillance data suggest that the combined efforts of the Cambodian government, FHI and other partners are beginning to have an impact on the epidemic in Cambodia.
• A program in Kenya that links intensive HIV prevention efforts with community-based care. Working with local partners, FHI is helping to build a strong network of health workers and community-based caregivers to meet the medical, psychological and social support needs of people living with and affected by HIV.
• The role of men in HIV/AIDS prevention -- this year's World AIDS Day theme -- and some of FHI's initiatives to involve men in HIV prevention.
• A dynamic HIV prevention project with youth in the small South American nation of Guyana, where FHI is strengthening the efforts of local organizations.
• Recommendations for meeting the urgent need to integrate HIV/AIDS services with efforts to identify, treat and prevent tuberculosis, which is the leading killer of people living with HIV.