Alliance partners are 2010 Red Ribbon Award Winners

The Red Ribbon Award, named after the global symbol in the movement to address AIDS, is a joint effort of the UNAIDS family.  The award recognizes outstanding community organisations for their work in reducing the spread and impact of AIDS.

There were over 720 nominations from 102 countries this year. Twenty organisations were recognised and received $5,000 each and a further five organisations received special recognition and an award of $20,000 each.

Of the 20 organisations, a number of Alliance supported community organisations were successful. These included:

• AMMAR which is a network of 15,000 sex workers that has successfully advocated for the adoption of municipal codes and ordinances in Argentina that protect and promote the rights of sex workers.  They are part of the RedTraSex (the Latin American network of sex workers), an Alliance partner organisation that is being supported to raise their profile in decision making spaces.  This work is funded by the UK-Aid, which is part of the Department for International Development (DFID).
  
• Colectivo SerGay de Aguascalientes, A.C. which works to expose injustice and document human rights violations towards sexual minorities and marginalized groups in Aguascalientes, Mexico, and provides those populations with a community centre that is a safe space for medical, therapeutic and psychological support. 
  
  Colectivo SerGay is a member VIDA DIGNA Mexico, a project which aims to build the capacity of organisations to reduce stigma and discrimination related to HIV in the Central States of Mexico. SerGay was a sub-recipient of Alliance linking organisation, Colectivo Sol in the five year Positive Action ViiV Healthcare funded project. Colectivo Sol and SerGay are involved in sharing the experience of VIDA DIGNA Mexico with Alliance partners in El Salvador and Ser Gay is receiving technical support from Colectivo Sol, through AIDSTAR Two.  
• Penitentiary Initiative (PI) which is a community-based organisation that advocates for HIV prevention in prison settings and provides access to treatment and diagnostics for prisoners living with HIV. The organisation also provides psychosocial support for prisoners who use drugs and men who have sex with men (MSM), while building tolerance towards these vulnerable groups among prison inmates and staff.
• Svitanok Club which is the first organisation in the Donetsk region created and managed by people living with HIV and people who use drugs. It supports people living with HIV, including children, people who use drugs, prisoners and sex workers. Svitanok Club started as a day-care facility for children living with and affected by HIV and has since provided psychological, social, and medical support to almost 200 children, including orphans, their parents and guardians. Svitanok lobbies for children’s rights and supports their needs, including treatment adherence, offering summer schools as well as seminars and workshops for their families.