It’s heartbreaking to have people tell you that you shouldn’t have kids because you’re HIV-positive. That’s what I was told by my family since I was diagnosed at the age of nine. Every little girl dreams of being a mom someday, and I was no different. But 10 years later, when I found out I was pregnant, I couldn’t help but be a little nervous. One question was on my mind: Would my child be born with HIV?

When I was young, it used to be hard for me to take my medicine because the dosage was 16 pills a day. Years later, as I became a soon-to-be mother, it was easier not only because there were less pills, but because I knew it wasn’t just for me. It was for my child. I was on a combination of incredible drugs –- Combivir, Kaletra and prenatal vitamins — but I took my medicine every day and I went to the doctor as scheduled. And nine months later, my beautiful baby boy Daniel was born.

Daniel was tested for the virus when he was born, three months later, at six months and when he was one year old. Every time, the results were negative. My son will be two years old this week, and he is healthy and HIV-negative because of affordable, life-saving drugs that were made available to me during my pregnancy.

Every day, more 1,000 children are born with HIV. Let’s ensure that tomorrow, no mother has to worry about passing a deadly disease on to her child. If Daniel could be born HIV-free, there’s no reason another child on earth shouldn’t. As a mother, I can tell you that I’ve never experienced a greater joy than being told my son was HIV-negative. We have the medicine –- what’s missing is the will. Together, we can make sure that no child is born with HIV by 2015.

-Vanessa Gonzalez Rodriguez is a ONE Campus Leader for Hillsborough Community College in Tampa Bay, Florida

With the help of more than 60 students, classmates, professors and members of the school administration, I was able to talk about ONE’s petition to prevent children from being born with HIV by 2015 and raise many signatures by talking to my people in my classes, different student organizations and friends. Now that we have about 60 more people that know about what they can do to help this global fight against AIDS, I hope they are excited to continue volunteering for ONE Brownsville events and other local and global efforts.

If every person took that step to sign ONE’s petition, it would encourage elected officials to help the Global Fund reach the world goal to prevent children from being born with HIV by 2015. I’m excited to see how this one day helped make a “loud noise” along with other cities around Texas and the world!

-Michelangelo Sosa, ONE member, Texas

It was an honor to observe World AIDS Day in Los Angeles with Save Africa’s Children (SAC) at West Angeles Church of God in Christ. Save Africa’s Children is an extraordinary ministry, started by Bishop Charles E. Blake Sr, providing direct support and care to orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS, poverty and war throughout sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean.

Since 2001, SAC has assisted more than 400 orphan care programs in 21 African nations, reaching more than 200,000 AIDS-affected children. SAC is among the first and largest African-American founded organizations meeting the needs of vulnerable children in Africa. Joining us in observation was SAC President Paul Turner, gospel singer Ami Rushes, and Outreach To Africa Founder Evelyn Komuntale. Our wonderful evening was touched with inspiration through praise and worship, video, education, tribute and a call to action.

Earlier this year, my fellow colleague Keren Dongo shared her inspirational moment with Bishop Blake during a global advocacy discussion panel. I have to say, mine was hearing Bishop Blake express his personal gratitude and support for ONE and the advocacy work of all our members.

When partners like these come together, there’s no doubt we will be able to prevent vertical transmission of HIV/AIDS from mothers to their child around the world. Thank you Bishop Blake, Save Africa’s Children and West Angeles Church for an incredible night. May your ministry continue to be blessed with compassion and success.

“The 2010 World Cup was a moment of great pride for all Africans. It provided an opportunity to show the world the incredible progress that has been achieved across the continent and demonstrated the unyielding spirit of optimism that is quintessentially African. Today on World AIDS Day, we should similarly take stock of the progress and how far we have come in the fight against this deadly disease. Less than a decade ago… fewer than 50,000 Africans were receiving life-saving antiretroviral treatment. Now, thanks in part to programs such as the Global Fund and the strong commitment of our governments, nearly 4 million Africans—enough to fill Soccer City Stadium more than 44 times—are able to access the treatment they need to live longer, more productive lives. “

“There is a grave threat to this progress: a global recession that has tightened the budgets of African and donor governments alike. The tremendous gains we’ve made over the last decade in the fight against HIV/AIDS are now in jeopardy, and recent global financial meetings in Canada and New York have shown that even donors who understand the importance of global health investments are seeing aid budgets increasingly squeezed. So what does this mean for Africans and African leaders? To maintain progress, we must continue to insist on the resources needed to keep our people alive, while at the same time taking a very hard look at how we can do even better with what we have.“

“We must improve prevention. The promise of treatment for everyone living with AIDS cannot be fulfilled until we slow substantially the rate of new infections. Funding must be focused on interventions that are proven to be effective and are targeted to those who are most at risk. Additionally, we now have the tools to virtually eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, so there is no excuse in 2010 other than our own inaction for children being born HIV positive.“

“We must improve governance and transparency. Even with all the resources and good intentions, programmes will only be successful if they are well managed and citizens are fully informed and engaged. Primary responsibility lies with our Ministries of Health and of Finance who must work together to prioritize domestic spending for HIV/AIDS; and to report on where the funds are going and what results they are producing. Where external aid is utilized, our leaders at all levels need to get tough on criminals who try to siphon off resources for AIDS treatment, and work in partnership with donors and civil society to ensure that our in-country capacity to track and evaluate funding is as strong as possible.“

“We must make the case for Africa. Far from advocating perpetual donor dependence, but so long as we continue to rely on their assistance to aggressively fight AIDS, it is in our interest to be more vocal about the successes of these funds and how they can be best utilized…It is up to the leaders to partner with civil society to advise donors on such key issues as when integration should be a focus, where clinics are best situated, how cultural practices should influence policy, which local partners are strong. We are our own best advocates, and donors need to hear from us. I hope that we can all make a commitment to fulfilling our responsibilities to help end AIDS in Africa in our lifetime. It will take all of us, working together as one, to make a difference.”

This year for World AIDS Day, the group created the PSA below in an effort to continue educating the community about how we can help raise awareness of the global impact of HIV/AIDS. Take a minute to check it out, and be sure to check out ONE’s volunteer resources to learn about how you can get involved.

The current situation:
Here is a panoramic view of the epidemic from the UNAIDS Global Report 2009 data. To see the entire presentation, visit UNAIDS’ website.

- Each day there were 7,000 new infections; 97 percent of these occurred in low and middle income countries

- The numbers show that of the 6,000 daily new adult cases, 41 percent were between the ages of 15-24

- In 2009, 33.3 million people were living with HIV around the world. Of those, 30.8 million are adults, 15.9 million are women and 2.5 million are children under the age of 5

- 2.6 million people were newly infected with HIV; 2.2 million adults and 370,000 children

- 22.5 of the 33.3 million people living with HIV reside in sub-Saharan Africa

- 1.8 million people died from AIDS, more than a quarter of a million of those were children under the age of 15

The progress in the fight:
While these numbers prove there is much work to be done, campaigns like the Living Proof show us that together, we can achieve progress for the world’s poorest.

- The Global Fund saves 4,000 lives every day

- Nearly 4 million Africans are on life preserving treatment for AIDS today, up from 50,000 in 2003.

- The use of treatment for HIV-positive pregnant women has stopped an estimated 200,000 new HIV infections in children over the last 12 years, the vast majority since 2005.

- 22 sub-Saharan countries saw the rate of new infections fall by more than 25 percent between 2001 and 2009.

- In 2009, an estimated 53% of pregnant women living with HIV received ARV’s to reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to their infants, up from 15 percent in 2005

Yesterday, the Pembroke Pines Charter High School faculty and student body gathered outside to rally in support of ONE’s fight to ensure that no child is born with HIV by 2015. More than 200 students showed up with signs and flags to help get the message across, all while donning ONE shirts.

During the event, many of the students took some time to record their ONE wish for World AIDS Day. Check out what they had to say and be sure to tweet your ONE wish this week!

Overall, our World AIDS Day event helped to highlight the success of proven, effective efforts to save lives in Africa — efforts that have helped nearly 5 million Africans with HIV/AIDS access antiretroviral treatment, and have helped 930,000 pregnant women access the HIV medicine that prevents passage of the infection to their babies.

–Enrique Batista, ONE member, Florida

Yesterday, World AIDS Day provided an opportunity for the people of Temple Lutheran Church in suburban Philadelphia to gather, watch and discuss “The Lazarus Effect.” The group shared a simple meal together and observed the beginning of the Christian season of Advent, which proclaims God’s vision for a world defined by justice and equity. It provided a powerful reminder of the connection between faith and ONE’s efforts to end the destructive work of AIDS.

After watching “The Lazarus Effect,” the group had a meaningful discussion about the reality of AIDS, the impact of antiretroviral (ARV) treatments, and the great opportunity to save lives that we must all participate in.

“I was amazed at the transformation that can happen in as little as 40 days,” remarked Joan Sullivan, a member of the church’s outreach team. I described the incredible impact that the Global Fund and PEPFAR have had in recent years and invited the group to remain engaged in ONE’s effort to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV by 2015.

Participants were invited to energize this effort by sending “ONE Holiday Wish” cards to Pennsylvania Senator Robert Casey Jr. and Senator-elect Pat Toomey to remind them that we care about the fight against HIV/AIDS and will seek brave and compassionate leadership from them in 2011.

-Pastor Matt Staniz, ONE member, Pennsylvania

“Into the Light,” an award-winning documentary directed by Peter Glenn, follows Mama Lyimo’s emotional journey as she travels from village to village, meeting with locals to produce answers and educate Tanzanians about this global epidemic.

The urgency and harrowing nature of the crisis develops a human face when Mama Lyimo crosses paths with an AIDS orphan named Suzy. Her poignant struggle to survive in the midst of sorrow and grieving changes the tone of Mama Lyimo’s research and leaves the audience haunted by this young victim.

Peter Glenn worked with Mama Lyimo for two years before actual shooting for the documentary commenced. To watch the film and learn more about HIV/AIDS in Tanzania, visit the “Into the Light” website.