For Immediate Release:	May 10, 2006
For More Information:	Ketayoun Darvich-Kodjouri, The Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA), kdarvich@cedpa.org, (202) 939-2654
Sponsor Organization:	Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA)
AIDS Activists, Public Personalities Join Global Agencies To Call for Greater Focus on Women and AIDS
On the eve of a major global political review of AIDS at the UN, May 31-June 2, women working on the frontlines of the epidemic will call for changes in policies and in prevention, care and treatment to reflect the new face of AIDS. Zimbabwe fashion model Tendayi Westerhof and Kenyan AIDS activist Inviolatta Mwali Mmbwavi—featured in a new full-color magazine that profiles 12 women on the frontlines of the epidemic—will speak about their experience living with HIV and their work to combat stigma and mobilize others to insist on treatment and services for all. Also: an update on the epidemic; information on the upcoming global review. Increasingly, women and girls bear the burden of AIDS—as those infected and as caretakers. More than 17 million women live with HIV worldwide, and three out of four are in sub-Saharan Africa. In the U.S., AIDS is now the leading cause of death for African American women aged 25 to 34. PRESS CONFERENCE When: Tuesday, May 23, 10:30 am Where: National Press Club, First Amendment Lounge 529 14th Street NW, Washington, DC Speakers: Yolonda C. Richardson, President & CEO, The Centre for Development and Population Activities Pauline Muchina, Senior Women & AIDS Advocacy Officer, UNAIDS Inviolatta Mwali Mmbwavi, CEO, National Empowerment Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS, Kenya Tendayi Westerhof, Fashion Model and Founder, Public Personalities Against AIDS Trust, Zimbabwe Founded in 1975, the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA) is an internationally recognized non-profit organization that improves the lives of women and girls in developing countries. CEDPA's headquarters are in Washington, DC, with offices in Egypt, India, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa. Online at http://www.cedpa.org