AFEW International sets up Martine de Schutter Scholarship Fund that allows participants from Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) to attend the 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018). Martine’s commitment to the international fight against AIDS and her unwavering support to the Eastern European region has set an example for us to follow. That is why AFEW International established the Scholarship Fund named after Martine de Schutter – our friend and fellow activist.
As of today, Martine de Schutter Fund raised 103.000 EUR to cover the additional scholarships of the EECA applicants to come to Amsterdam for AIDS 2018. A part of the Martine de Schutter Fund has been distributed to the applicants from EECA through the established Scholarship Committee of the International AIDS Society (IAS) of which 45 are regular scholarships and 20 – for speakers who will be invited from the EECA region. AFEW thanks Gilead, Janssen Cilag, Deutsche AIDS-Stiftung and Aidsfonds for their contribution to this Fund.
Martine de Schutter was a strong advocate for human rights. For about 10 years she managed the European network AIDS Action Europe, which connects more than 400 AIDS organizations throughout Europe and Central Asia. Martine worked with dedication and passion to keep the AIDS problem on the agenda at the European Union and to connect all organisations working on the same issues in Eastern Europe. In 2014, Martine became the Program Leader for Bridging the Gaps: Health and Rights for Key Populations program. She travelled a lot and her last trip was to AIDS 2014 Conference in Melbourne on the MH17 plane that was shot down and crashed.
