The Black community has been left out of the conversation and the AIDS relief efforts for the past 40 years. The campaign against HIV/AIDS did not receive the same national attention to combat the incidence and prevalence of AIDS in Black neighborhoods and communities throughout our nation. We are seeking to create a bridge between the HIV/AIDS community and the Black church, which is a major institution for accessing the Black community throughout the nation. We already have this relationship in Indianapolis and we want to build on it.

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In Phase 1 of the Hoosier IAC Scholarship Fund, a group of 21 Hoosiers applied for the scholarship. They became official Hoosier delegates of the United States of America to the International AIDS Conference 2020 (VIRTUAL) in July 2020. At the completion of their participation, they received official membership into the International AIDS Society, Geneva, Switzerland. Several have become community advocates in their neighborhoods and their Indiana counties. The Hoosier IAC Scholarship Fund helps promote financial access to HIV education by providing transportation, housing, and the registration fee for the International Aids Conference. These HIV educated scholars will help accomplish our phase 2 objectives.

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The focus of the Hoosier IAC Scholarship Fund Phase 2 will be to provide access to HIV education in the church and surrounding community. The Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) campaign by the CDC recognizes the increasing incidence of HIV among youth and adults in the Black community, who are not connected to HIV information, education, resources, and services. When people are educated and have access to these resources, it diminishes the risk of transmission and improves the efforts to confront stigma in the Black community. 

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One example of Phase 2 already in action can be identified at Broadway United Methodist Church. The Broadway Youth Roving Project is a way that the church has met their neighbors for the past twelve years through a group of young people. This year, the Rovers will have received HIV101 training to empower them to respond or initiate opportunities for discussions that occur around healthcare. This training will include workshops on healthcare disparities and identifying pathways to care. The youth will receive grant awards from the scholarship fund to enable their participation in the program, to provide appropriate refreshments and to allow for meals and conversation with the community. Their acquaintance with HIV through the summer program will be the precursor to the opportunity to become delegates to the International AIDS Conference in 2022 (IAC2022). 

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The scholarships will provide support and assistance to other community residents to also be invited to become delegates to IAC2022. The scholarship will then fund these delegates' efforts to promote HIV education in their own communities.

 

We are pleased to announce that we were able to raise $27,556.96 for the Hoosier IAC Scholarship Fund which provided scholarships (including conference registration, airfare, lodging, and meals) for 5 delegates to attend AIDS 2022 in Montreal from July 29-August 2 in-person, and for 2 delegates to attend virtually in Indianapolis.  

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Check out a highlight video from our Hoosier IAC Scholarship Fund Delegation's experience at AIDS 2022 by clicking HERE.  

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