The day before the EURO 2012 final Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation together with Elton John and Queen will partake in a match against AIDS
The concert will be held under UEFA support one day before the EURO 2012 final in the official FAN zone of the football Championship. It will be broadcasted live on Ukrainian and Polish Television.
In recognition of the importance and the charitable status of this project, the musicians who will perform on that night will waive their fees.
"On June 30th at the main square of our country the most titled and bright English team of Elton John and Queen will play for Ukraine against AIDS" - Elena Pinchuk said at the press-conference devoted to the concert announcement which was held today, June 7th 2012.
VIP guests will have an opportunity to make charitable donation for the new joint project of the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation aimed at educating Ukrainian children about HIV/AIDS using symbols and rules of football.
This is not the first time that the artists who will be taking part in the concert are visiting Kiev with the charitable mission of helping fight AIDS in Ukraine and to protect millions of people against HIV-infection. Their cooperation with Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation has a longstanding history.
Sir Elton John, whose AIDS Foundation has been working in Ukraine since 2002, first joined forces with the Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation in 2007 with a free national concert and a joint nationwide programme aimed at helping HIV-positive children. Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation provided a grant of 2.5 million USD for the five-year project "Children+", which was also supported by the Big Lottery Fund from the UK. To date, the programme has directly supported over 3,000 children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.
In 2011 the two Foundations presented a second initiative to the public - a new joint charity project providing prevention and care services for homeless girls and young women who live and work on the streets of Kiev, one in five of whom are living with HIV.
One of the lasting results of a concert by Queen + Paul Rodgers at the Kharkov Plosha Svobody (the Liberty Square) organized in cooperation with the Mercury Phoenix Trust (www.mercuryphoenixtrust.com) in September 2008 was a new care centre for HIV-positive children in the Zelenogaisky orphanage in Kharkov which was repaired and renovated using the funds raised the concert.
Thanks to the ongoing media campaigns of the ANTIAIDS Foundation, the support of world-famous stars such as Sir Elton John and Queen, and numerous projects aimed to help people living with HIV/AIDS implemented by partner organizations, it became possible to reduce the growth rate of new HIV cases in Ukraine by five times in the last five years.
Collaboration with Elton John AIDS Foundation
On June 16th 2007 world-famous composer and singer Sir Elton John gave the free charitable concert in Kiev. The concert took place on Maidan Nezalejnosty (the Independence Square) and was broadcasted live on Ukrainian "Novy Channel". The concert was organized by Elena Pinchuk ANTIADS Foundation and was meant to draw attention to the fight against HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ukraine. Five millions TV-viewers of all ages watched the show while 200 thousands of people came to Maidan Nezalejnosti to see and listen to the famous singer. The next day after the show queues were formed at the HIV testing points. The number of people willing to take an HIV test doubled and this situation lasted until the end of summer.
The five-year project "Children Plus" started in February 2008. Today it works in eleven regions of Ukraine. The Project is implemented by All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH in partnership with Elena Pinchuk "ANTIADS" Foundation, Elton John AIDS Foundation, and Romanian Angel Appeal Foundation. Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation allocated a $2.5 million grant for the project while the Elton John AIDS Foundation has raised the additional 500,000 pounds from The Big Lottery Fund. Today, the project runs in eleven regions: Cherkassy, Kharkov, Odessa, Poltava, Sumy, Nikolaev, Makeyevka, Simferopol, Sevastopol, and in Chernihiv and Donetsk.
Thanks to experts working on the project 1 442 children (the number of children is expected to reach 1 500 in 2013) affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic stayed in their biological families and weren't sent to the boarding schools or orphanages. During the years of the project 104 HIV-positive orphans were adopted into families (it was planned to have 96 orphans in 2013). Project staff got 893 children involved into the work of revealing status (by 2013 it is planned to get 1000 children involved). 2 675 teachers and tutors have been trained on HIV/AIDS (3000 of teachers are expected to get trained by 2013). This helps to make the lives of HIV-positive children in schools and kindergartens more comfortable, and also make the attitude of teachers and peers to these children more tolerant.
Project for girls and young women vulnerable to HIV. On November 9, 2011 in Kiev the founders of the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) and the Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation (EPAAF) presented to journalists their second joint charitable project. Its goal is to help girls and young women who are spend most of their lives on the street and so are highly vulnerable to HIV, to gain access to HIV testing and to receive vital social, medical and legal assistance. The project is implemented by the global health and human rights organization HealthRight International, with the generous financial support of the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation. Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation has provided a grant for $ 450 000 for this project. In April 2010 the "HealthRight" Centre for girls and women in difficult life circumstances was established within the framework of the project. The "HealthRight" Centre is based in the Kiev City Centre of Social Services for Family, Children and Youth. During the past two years since the Centre was opened more than 800 girls and young women have addressed it, and every fifth of them was HIV-positive or has AIDS.
Collaboration with Queen
On September 12, 2008, a charity concert of Queen + Paul Rodgers, dedicated to the fight against AIDS took place on the largest square of Ukraine in Kharkiv. It was an event of great success, which gathered an enormous amount of viewers. According to the international experts 350 thousands of people came to the Liberty Square and the nearby streets to see the show. That evening several records were beaten. «Life must go on!» concert became the largest event dedicated to the fight against AIDS in our country as well as one of the biggest concert events in the history of Ukraine.
On May 25, 2009 in the Zelenogaysky orphanage (Kharkiv) Elena Pinchuk "ANTIAIDS" Foundation opened a new building for HIV-positive children, which was renovated with funds collected at the charity concert of Queen + Paul Rodgers in Kharkov. This building was waiting for his major overhaul for more than 30 years. A total of 922 782.99 UAH was allocated for repairs.
HIV/AIDS situation in Ukraine
In 2011 there were 21 178 new cases of HIV infection (including 3 930 children) registered in Ukraine. This means that 56 Ukrainians were diagnosed with HIV every day in 2011.
From November 2001 until February 2012 there were 206 160 new HIV cases officially registered in Ukraine. From November 1987 until February 25,353 people, including 310 children died from AIDS in Ukraine.
Ukraine remains a leader in Europe in terms of pace of spreading of HIV infection. According to UNAIDS experts, more than 1 per cent of population is HIV infected in Ukraine, and only every other is aware of their diagnosis.
Every year the number of HIV-positive people in Ukraine is growing, but since 2005 the rate of new cases of HIV (the acceleration of the epidemic) is declining: in 2005 compared to 2004 - plus 15.6% in 2010 compared to 2009 - plus 3.3%, in 2011 compared to 2010 - plus 3.4%.
Nowadays Ukrainian more often become infected through unprotected sex. In 2005 33% of people who had HIV infection were infected through sexual contact, while in 2010-2011 this percentage rose to 45%.
The number of children born to HIV-positive women is constantly growing: in 2005 HIV-positive mothers in Ukraine gave birth to 2 498 children. In 2010 it was 4049 children. As of July 1, 2011 the record showed 9 072 born to HIV-positive mothers 2 669 of which got the diagnosis confirmed.
In 2005 about 3 000 patients received antiretroviral treatment in Ukraine. In 2011, there were more than 26 000 of them.
In 2005 the program of substitution therapy for drug-dependent patients started in Ukraine and was attended by 160 people. In 2011 there were already more than 6 000 people taking part in this program.
According to the forecasts of international experts by 2014 the number of children who have lost both parents due to HIV/AIDS epidemic could reach 42 000.
The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) is one of the foremost independent AIDS charities in the world. Its mission is to provide focused and sustainable funding to frontline programmes that help to alleviate the physical, emotional and financial hardship of those living with, affected by or at risk of HIV/AIDS, and to continue the fight against this worldwide pandemic. Following the loss of many close friends to AIDS in the early 90s, including Freddie Mercury and seeing the lack of understanding and stigma attached to the disease at that time, Sir Elton John established the Foundation in the UK in 1993. EJAF UK focuses its grant-making on programmes in Africa, Asia and Europe. Since its establishment, EJAF has raised over $225m worldwide and supported more than 2000 programmes in 55 countries across 4 continents (www.ejaf.com).
For more information please contact: Anne Aslett, Executive Director on [email protected]
The Mercury Phoenix Trust (www.mercuryphoenixtrust.com). Freddie Mercury died from AIDS related illness on 24th November 1991. Immediately the remaining members of Queen and their manager Jim Beach took the decision to found an organisation to raise money and awareness of AIDS in Freddie's memory. Together they organised the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness. The Mercury Phoenix Trust was formed to distribute the money raised from this concert as well as earnings from record royalties donated by Queen themselves. To date the Mercury Phoenix Trust has been responsible for giving over £10 million to charities worldwide to help in the fight against AIDS. It has now adapted its policy to concentrate on HIV AIDS education and awareness.
The ANTIAIDS Foundation (/) was founded by Elena Pinchuk in 2003. Today this is the first and sole charitable organization committed to fighting against AIDS in Ukraine operating on private donations. During nine years of its work the Foundation deals constantly with HIV/AIDS prevention and provides help to people living with HIV/AIDS. The Foundation seeks to work at all levels from large national projects to targeted direct assistance to people affected by AIDS epidemic. The Foundation also regularly provides help to medical institutions and orphanages where HIV-positive children live. At the initiative of the Foundation mobile clinics were set up to help HIV-positive children who are living in remote regions of Ukraine. Elena Pinchuk "ANTIAIDS" Foundation also develops and implements social preventive and educational programs aimed at young audience. Among these programs is a project for homeless girls and young women vulnerable to HIV infection (in collaboration with the Elton John AIDS Foundation). The Foundation also implements innovative and interactive projects using web-technologies: social service maps.antiaids.org together with Google, the online auction "Star for Sale" together with Korrespondent.net, Fashion AID, a joint project with The Coca-Cola Foundation - Safe Connection.
For detailed information, please, contact Pavel Piminov, Communications Director, Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation: +380 67 466 8736, [email protected].
