Recent achievements in the prevention and education department:

• Educational workshops for newly sexually active youth and youth-at-risk, including a personal story of a person living with HIV. The workshops have been extensively praise by everyone who has participated in them for the last 20 years.
• Centers for rapid and anonymous HIV testing, which includes consultation prior to the test and upon receiving the results. The IATF is the pioneer in use of rapid HIV tests in Israel.
• A HOT LINE for questions from the general public, which operates every evening, as well as managing internet forums.
• Prevention in the Ethiopian community, a new project that was launched 2006 for prevention activities among Ethiopian youth.
• BELA DOEGET, A prevention project for the gay community.
• Harm reduction project for I.V. drug users: replacing needles and accessories, rapid HIV tests, consultation towards recovery. In collaboration with the Israel Anti-Drug Authority.

Recent achievements in the support department:

• Providing support for newly diagnosed people during the difficult crisis of adjusting to their new status.
• Social support for PWHIV: guided support groups, an annual PWHIV conference, diverse social activities to alleviate the loneliness of those living alone with the secret of their HIV status.
• Battling to remove the stigma associated with AIDS.
• Advocacy directed at the government authorities and the health care system.
• Submitting pleas to the Supreme Court regarding fundamental issues such as the right to bring children.
• Handling complains of discrimination and problems in receiving adequate medical care.
• Newsletter of medical updates.
• Distributing lifesaving medication to uninsured migrant workers.
• Promoting the issues of registering and including new AIDS medications in the list of government-subsidized drugs.

The Israel AIDS Task Force received the "President Award for Voluntary Action" for the year 2006, for its continuous work for the last 20 years since its establishment.

Things to be taken into account, analysing our importance:

• Educating the general public, instilling habits of responsible sexual behaviour. This can save the lives of future generations and affects all our children.
• Education and information save the country money. The treatment of an AIDS carrier over a normal lifetime can cost around one million dollars in medicine, treatments and days spent in hospital.
• This is a critical subject deals with the saving of both lives and souls.
• It is vital to disperse the myths and stigmas surrounding AIDS in order to lessen fear of the disease, and the publication of responsible, accurate and up-to-date information is an essential weapon.
• The AIDS virus attacks indiscriminately: men, women, children and the IATF serves all populations without discrimination based on religion, national origin, race, colour, or sex.

Hirsch's Foundation for PWHIV

The Foundation was established in December 2008 in memory of Dr. Gideon Hirsch, who served as head of the Israel AIDS Task Force (initially as Chairman and later as Director) and to commemorate his life's work.

Dr. Hirsch greatly contributed to the battle against the spread of AIDS in Israel. Since learning that he was HIV positive, two decades ago, Dr. Hirsch stood at the frontier of the crusade against the harsh stigma that is associated with HIV/AIDS and he adamantly fought to overcome the misconceptions of the illness, which lead to discriminating social conventions. He was an exemplar of social activism, courage and triumph, and vigorously advocated for the rights of people living with HIV to live their life amongst a tolerant society, without fear and prejudice, and for their right to receive the best medical treatment available. His relentless efforts towards the welfare of people living with HIV brought the entrance of new AIDS medications into the Health Ministry's subsidized list of medicines and thus, he was responsible for the enhancement of the medical care provided to this population. Above all, he endeavored to change the anachronistic terminology that equates AIDS with death and sustains the inequity of people living with the virus.

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