Health GAP and the Student Global AIDS Campaign are committed to ending the AIDS epidemic by demanding sufficient resources, effective prevention, and guaranteed access to AIDS treatment for all. On January 20, we will launch the First 100 Days to End AIDS campaign, which will run until the end of April and work to shape the agenda of the new Congress during the first 100 days of the new administration. To end the AIDS epidemic, we need to demonstrate our power and solidarity in as many of the 435 congressional districts as possible, and are asking you to sign up to be a grassroots leader for your home district. 

2017 is shaping up to be the most politically challenging year in recent memory, and it is also the most critical to ending the AIDS epidemic. What Congress decides this year is pivotal in terms of achieving necessary scale-up to reach the epidemiological goals to treat over 30 million people by 2020, and end AIDS as an epidemic by 2030. If Congress doesn’t take the necessary steps this year, it will be very hard to achieve that goal. With NAFTA renegotiation on the administration's front-end agenda, drug corporations will be moving to gain more monopolies over life-saving medicine through new and revised trade agreements. 

Through citizen lobbying, making media, and taking action, we will ramp up our work to end AIDS to meet three goals in the First 100 Days:

GOAL 1:

We know that meeting with and holding members of Congress accountable is a critical route to creating the political will necessary to end AIDS. In the first 100 days of the new administration, we need to set and meet benchmarks to have all SGAC chapters and grassroots leaders meet face-to-face with their members of Congress or key staff. 

GOAL 2:

We also know that generating our own coverage in the mainstream media through letters to the editor and op-eds holds our members of Congress accountable at home and affects what they will do on Capitol Hill. In the first 100 days of the new administration, we need to generate at least one of these in each local or school newspaper where we have grassroots leaders.

GOAL 3:

Doing actions – such as protests, vigils, and direct action – both holds our members of Congress accountable through earned media, and builds our grassroots. In the first 100 days of the new administration, we will plan at least one action that earns media and builds power.

To help you strategize for this campaign, you’ll make plans and set goals for those first few months so your time and energy will be successful in making progress toward reaching our goal of over 30 million people on treatment by 2020.

First, if you are not already in an SGAC chapter, sign up to be a point person for your congressional district.
Next, use this guide to create your First 100 Days to End AIDS campaign plan, and keep track of it in the 1st 100 Days Plan Summary.

Finally, join our monthly grassroots calls and reach out to us directly any time for coaching and questions at [email protected] and [email protected].