A Grammy award winner for eleven times, actress and singer/songwriter, Alicia Keys was first affected by AIDS/HIV when she was a little girl. Her mother’s friend expired because of the disease. She was too little to understand the loss or the cause of her passing away. Ten years had passed when she went to South Africa where she experienced the disease and she co-founded Keep a Child Alive in 2003.

How has she helped people with HIV/AIDS?

She has spoken a lot about this subject and the impact the disease has caused in Indian and African families. She also raises funds for this cause. Her organization, The Black Ball, has raised a lot of money for HIV/AIDS.

She has also run a marathon for this cause.

She raised $3.8 million by the 12th Annual Black Ball which adds to her good work she is doing for this cause

There are normal activities which AIDS/HIV patients cannot do. She visited hospitals in Africa where women who had just given birth to babies with HIV/AIDS. A lot of women didn’t know that if they are suffering from the disease and breastfeed their babies the baby will contract it too.

She is letting people be aware of the saddening part of having this disease. People are still afraid of being friends or fall in love with people suffering from AIDS/HIV. She is instrumental in trying to clear the stigma of this disease. She wants to spread the message of not ostracising people with AIDS and having compassion for them.

She is one strong lady who stands for people suffering from this deadly disease and works for the betterment of such patients. We must salute her for every deed she has done for HIV positive people.

She and many others are working towards making the lives of the people infected or affected by this disease better. HIV can be controlled. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is an HIV treatment. If taken regularly that is everyday ART can prolong the lives of people infected with HIV and lower the chance of others getting infected?