South Africa’s Treatment Action Campaign Receives Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights
The Cape Town, South Africa-based HIV/AIDS treatment advocacy group Treatment Action Campaign has been awarded the Kaiser Family Foundation Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights for its contribution to "advancing the rights" of people living with HIV/AIDS and improving access to treatment for HIV-positive people in South Africa and around the world. Each year the award -- which was established in 1993 at the behest of former South African President Nelson Mandela -- recognizes "outstanding commitment and leadership in the effort to improve the health and health care of disadvantaged South Africans." As a result of the award, Kaiser will grant $10,000 to the organization and give two members of TAC the opportunity to travel to the United States to work on a project "aimed at improving the health of South Africans." Kaiser Family Foundation President Drew Altman said, "TAC's contribution to the struggle against HIV/AIDS in South Africa is unparalleled and has also contributed in a major way to global awareness of disparities in treatment access." A statement from Mandela's office said, "TAC has made an historic contribution to alleviating suffering and mortality from HIV/AIDS by establishing access to AIDS treatment as a basic right in South Africa and globally. The efforts of TAC have mobilized the nation and strengthened our democracy." In a statement, TAC said, "This is a recognition of our struggle to secure the right to health for all people by the world's foremost human rights hero, Mr. Mandela," adding, "There is a lot still to be done to improve access to treatment in South Africa, but much progress has been made." TAC is the first organization to receive the award (Kaiser Family Foundation release, 2/11).
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