“When people are dying by the thousands every day, unnecessarily, when we’ve had this horrendous pandemic unfold for two decades while the world stands by and watches – you’ll do anything in your power to move the process.” – Stephen Lewis
Courtesy: SLF.
The Stephen Lewis Foundation [LINK] is a Canadian charitable organization founded in 2003 by Stephen Lewis and his daughter, Ilana Landsberg-Lewis, in response to the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. The Foundation emerged from Stephen Lewis’s work as the United Nations Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, where he became one of the world’s leading voices drawing attention to the human suffering caused by the epidemic and the urgent need for global action.
Courtesy: SLF.
The Foundation works by supporting grassroots community organizations across Africa that directly assist people and families affected by HIV/AIDS. Rather than operating its own large international programs, it partners with local groups providing front line care, healthcare access, counselling, education, and support for women, children, and vulnerable communities. The Foundation became especially well known for its “Grandmothers to Grandmothers” initiative [LINK], recognizing the millions of African grandmothers who stepped forward to raise orphaned children after parents died from AIDS-related illnesses.
Courtesy: SLF.
Over the years, the Foundation has supported hundreds of local initiatives focused on healthcare, women’s rights, mental health, food security, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and community resilience in regions heavily affected by HIV/AIDS. Widely respected for its humanitarian approach and emphasis on dignity, local leadership, and long-term support, the Foundation remains one of Canada’s best-known international charitable organizations working in global health and social justice.
Stephen Lewis Biography is [HERE].