The commercial and non-commercial sectors
unite in the fight against AIDS

In January and February 2005, the international non-governmental humanitarian organisation AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW) and ‘KheLo’, the Tibetan handicrafts store, will conduct a joint charity event to coincide with St. Valentine’s Day. The aim of the event is to raise the level of knowledge among young people on safer sex behaviour; and to raise funds to support the fight against HIV/AIDS in Russia.  

The growth rate of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Russia is among the highest in the world. Most worrying is the fact that the HIV virus is more and more being transmitted through unprotected sexual contact. This demonstrates the low level of knowledge of the general population about HIV and its routes of transmission.

The high speed of the spread of HIV, the high cost of antiretroviral drugs, and the frequent lack of access to treatment will have unpredictable demographic, political and economic consequences. In such a situation the business community can offer help in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Small and big businesses use different approaches in handling such issues: from education at the workplace to donations to people and charitable organisations.

KheLo, a Moscow store selling Tibetan and Himalayan products, decided to make its own contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS. Together with AFEW, the store has prepared some gifts related to St. Valentine’s Day. KheLo will launch the ‘Harmony of Love’ packages, which will contain a copy of the Kama Sutra, the ancient Indian book of love; two bottles of Tibetan oil with aphrodisiac properties for men and women; two condoms; one Tibetan souvenir; and a booklet on safer sex behaviour, developed as part of AFEW’s joint safe sex campaign with FOCUS-MEDIA Foundation. The packages will be aimed at all those looking to buy presents for their partners for 14 February, the day of lovers. Proceeds from the sale of the gift packages will be used in AFEW’s programme activities.

It is worth noting that this is by no means AFEW’s first experience of collaboration with the business community. In May 2004, AFEW and the Royal Dutch Embassy in Moscow staged the charity auction ‘Artists of the next generation’, with the support of Rabo-bank. Additionally, on 1 December 2004, World AIDS Day, AFEW and other non-commercial AIDS service organisations conducted a Russia-wide telethon on Channel One. The money spent on organising the telethon was donated by representatives of big and small businesses.

‘Harmony of Love’ can be purchased at the KheLo store only, at the following address:
Metro Shabolovskaya, 5 Shyxova Street. Telephone: (095) 9582666, 9540934

AIDS Foundation East-West, AFEW
Contact: Elena Ryabova
tel: (095) 250 6377
E-mail: elena_ryabova@afew.org