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Honoring Dr. King’s Legacy Through Health Equity |
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AHF community ambassadors rallied in Los Angeles in support of the Stand Against Hate campaign. |
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AHF, alongside our affiliate organizations and affinity group BLACC, honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) by highlighting the intersection of civil rights and health care advocacy through community events marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day, observed annually on Jan. 19 in the U.S. |
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AHF’s float rolls through the Kingdom Day Parade in Los Angeles. |
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Building on the Stand Against Hate campaign, AHF, BLACC and related organizations participated in 22 events across 15 cities in recognition of what would have been Dr. King’s 97th birthday.
Activities ranged from MLK Day parades, including floats in Dallas, Fort Worth and Los Angeles, to empowerment summits, concerts, and other community gatherings that uplifted messages of justice, equity and access to lifesaving care. |
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In addition, AHF, which in January 2025, received the MLK, Jr. Social Justice Award, The King Center’s highest recognition for an organization leading work in the social justice arena, is proud to be the sponsor for The King Center’s Beloved Community Global Youth Summit, through BLACC.
“AIDS Healthcare Foundation and BLACC are honored to join Dr. Bernice A. King and The King Center in supporting the next generation in building the Beloved Community,” said Tracy Jones, Southern Bureau Chief for AHF. “It is widely recognized as one of the King Center’s main events of the King holiday celebration, and we are grateful for the privilege to once again sponsor this important community event.” |
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The Stand Against Hate campaign on display at the Fort Lauderdale, Florida parade. |
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AHF staff and ambassadors in Dallas, Texas. |
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AHF Urges Action to Secure the Future of Africa’s Health Systems |
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AHF and AHF Global Public Health Institute representatives and leaders, including AHF Board Member Angelina Wapakhabulo, Vice Global Chair (first row, third from the left), at ICASA 2025. |
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During the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) 2025 in Ghana, AHF Africa and the AHF Global Public Health Institute engaged government leaders, media, and civil society leaders to call for sustainable health financing and expanded access to HIV prevention.
A high-level summit, Regional Health Leadership and Sustainable Financing in Africa, moderated by AHF Executive Vice President Dr. Penninah Iutung, highlighted that nearly 70 percent of health financing in many African countries still comes from external donors.
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Dr. Penninah Iutung moderating a high-level summit. |
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Speakers urged African nations to advance domestic health financing, local vaccine and pharmaceutical manufacturing, and stronger regional collaboration as the surest pathway to health sovereignty, resilient systems, and long-term development.
“Health is national security. When our nations are healthy, our economies thrive. Africa cannot continue depending on the West for vaccines, diagnostics, and medication," said Dr. Penninah Iutung. |
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AHF engages conference attendees with information on HIV prevention and treatment. |
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AHF hosted fireside chats on regional health financing and on promoting combination HIV prevention, including condom distribution alongside PrEP technologies. Throughout the conference, AHF ran interactive exhibition activities and distributed condoms to reinforce HIV prevention messaging.
Ghana, one of AHF’s newest country programs added in 2025, offers an exciting opportunity to strengthen local partnerships and support sustainable HIV prevention and care. |
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Tetiana Makushak: A New Beginning |
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POLAND |
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Tetiana Makushak is AHF Poland's Project Manager. Her story is next in our "I Am AHF" series featuring remarkable staff, clients, and partners who are doing what's right to save lives everyday.
Interviewed by Diana Shpak, Knowledge Management Focal Point, AHF Europe. |
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"My family remains my main source of strength, giving me the energy to move forward, persevere, and remember what truly matters," said Tetiana. |
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I was born in Ternopil and grew up in Zhytomyr, Ukraine. My parents are oncologists, and it was they who shaped my understanding of the profession as a service to people. I graduated with honors from Ternopil Medical University, completed my specialization in Kyiv, and worked as an oncologist in Zhytomyr for over 15 years. This was my profession, my life, and my home.
On February 24, 2022, everything changed. After the start of the full-scale invasion, we left for Poland almost immediately, initially thinking it would be only for a few days. Our home was located near an airport under constant shelling, making returning impossible. We left within hours of the shelling, with two young children, aged six and eight. We spent two days at the border among thousands of people and crossed it on February 26. At first, we stayed with my cousin, and later, after I began working at AHF, we moved to Lublin. Over time, this city became our new home. From the very first day, we felt immense support from local people—a kindness for which we will always be grateful. |
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In 2023, a friend sent me a link to a vacancy at AHF. I hesitated—it was a new field, a different language, a different work format—but I decided to try. At first, communication was in English, as I did not yet speak Polish. Over time, the language barrier disappeared, and I began to feel confident. Simultaneously, I worked on recognizing my medical diploma, passing language and medical exams, obtaining a Polish license, and completing a three-month internship. Today, I can officially work as a family doctor in Poland, combining my work at AHF with seeing patients at a clinic—a path I am truly proud of. |
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AHF Turns a Classic Tale Into a Call to End Hunger at the Rose Parade® |
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AHF’s float featured a towering "Jack and the Beanstalk" scene with larger-than-life vegetables and a classic pickup truck. Watch the float here. |
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AHF continued the decade-long tradition of participating in the Rose Parade® in Pasadena, California, this year with a "Jack and the Beanstalk" themed float celebrating our Food for Health program, which combats hunger and food insecurity. As of 2026, the program has reached over half a million people across the U.S. with weekly groceries. |
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Dolores Huerta sits with Food for Health National Director Carlos Marroquin on the float. |
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It also honored the program’s rapid response to the devastating Pacific Palisades wildfire near Los Angeles in January 2025, delivering over 75,000 hot meals to first responders and fire evacuees, and hosting eight months of weekly community farmers’ markets for those affected.
Launched in the U.S. in 2021 and now operating in dozens of countries, AHF’s Food for Health program addresses malnutrition and economic challenges to help clients stay on treatment and improve overall health outcomes. |
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