Princess Marie attends AIDS-Fondet's fundraiser event

Chris Lykkegaard, AIDS-Fondet ©

Yesterday, Princess Marie of Denmark, as Patron, attended AIDS-Fondet’s fundraiser event at Skodsborg Hotel.

AIDS-Fondet launched the “A Generation Without HIV” campaign aiming to prevent Ethiopian mothers infecting their children with HIV during their pregnancy, the birth or breastfeeding. Indeed, in Ethiopia, 25% of the babies born from an HIV-infected mother is infected by HIV, too, at and resulting in the 100,000 children who live with HIV.

AIDS-Fondet works with local organisations to develop an easy method that would prevent this infection, but they also work on spreading that method so that it can be efficient. This method is approved by the World Health Organisation and has proved a 0% infection rate.

Since the women are often poorly fed, they cannot produce enough milk to breastfeed so the organisation provides milk for the mother and the child after the birth. AIDS-Fondet also created fathers groups for the fathers who want to learn about the difficulties the mother and the child will face. Another group meeting for HIV-infected people is also in place.

Chris Lykkegaard, AIDS-Fondet ©

Princess Marie made a speech at the beginning of the event: “I stand here as Patron of AIDS-Fondet, but I’m also here as a mother. Today is an important day, for today we are here to give our contribution to the fight for a world without HIV and AIDS- a world where no children will be born with HIV.  AIDS has, for decades, taken millions of parents away from their children and especially African children who have lost their mother, their father or both parents to AIDS. And too many children have been born with HIV.

“As a mother of healthy children, I can only try to understand the powerlessness and sorrow of an HIV-positive mother when she gets her newborn baby in her arms with the message: You have infected your child with HIV. No mother should hear that message!

“My hope, as Patron and as a mother, is that, today, we will support AIDS-Fondet’s project in Ethiopia together. Together, we can create a generation without HIV – a world without AIDS.”

Princess Marie has been Patron of AIDS-Fondet since 2012; she takes part in a lot of events hosted by AIDS-Fondet such as conferences, briefings, Christmas concerts and fundraiser events. As Patron of DanChurchAid and AIDS-Fondet, she made a humanitarian trip in Ethiopia in 2014.