By Amy Cartwright, Writer/Web Coordinator, AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW)

Since our last update here, the Vienna Express buses have traveled thousands of miles of tarmac and taken in the Republic of Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Moldova, Germany, Holland, Kazakhstan and Macedonia! And, Russian tennis star and PSI Ambassador Anna Kournikova has come on board. She is urging others to join us and send a message in support of universal access.

The Vienna Express has been running for over a month now. AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW) launched this initiative in mid-June with the aim of linking together public events across Europe and Central Asia that promote solidarity with people living with HIV and universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support.

Once we reach Vienna in a few days, we will bring with us thousands of messages from the people of the region that explain how the HIV response is going in their communities and what still needs to be done. We invite all conference participants to stop by our East-West Wish Tree, where you can see the wishes sent from street children in Kyrgyzstan, German activists, teenagers in Chisinau, shoppers in Old Riga, border guards in Tajikistan…to name but a few who we have met along the way!

Recent Highlights of the Tour
From 23 to 26 June, the Vienna Express visited Tbilisi, Telavi and the Kakehti Region of the Republic of Georgia. AFEW’s local partner, the NGO Bemoni, packed a lot into these four days: media tours for local journalists to best-practice HIV projects, press conferences, and a two-day dance tour. Don’t miss the video (above), where you can see more of this beautiful country and learn a few new dance moves!

Meanwhile, in the Latvian cities of Riga, Bauska and Ogre, the NGO DIA+Logs held a street dance and musical performances, accompanied by a walking, talking Exclusive Black Condom! The debates on harm reduction and fun performances attracted many and the interest of the local and international media.

Germany’s first Vienna Express event took place on Sunday, 4 July with a city tour of Dortmund. The tour offered a new slant on the city’s history by concentrating on sites connected to epidemics over the centuries. The guides from Aidshilfe Dortmund explained the social response to epidemics from the medieval period up to HIV. This format was an active and engaging way to get across the profound message about the importance of a rational, humane approach to the control of epidemics. The guides noted the importantance of avoiding the mistakes of the past and not searching for scapegoats or trying to attach blame to minority groups. Events in Germany continue over the next few days, so keep an eye on our site!

From Holland, AFEW’s Director of Communications Ilona van de Braak blogged about supporting the Vienna Declaration, the official declaration of AIDS 2010. Ilona explains the central message of the Vienna Express campaign: “The most crucial lesson that I have learnt is that nothing can be achieved by preaching at ‘target groups’ or attempting to coerce them into not taking drugs or not engaging in unsafe sex. Those programmes that really work (e.g., really get drug users to stop sharing needles or make people think about the consequences of drug use and unprotected sex) are the ones that present people with informed choices, convince them through example and ask them to lead change in their own communities.”

In Ukraine and Moldova AFEW’s blogger and photographer Svetlana Valko has been reporting on the ‘Life Triumphs!’ exhibition taking place in Chisinau, Poltava, Kharkiv and Kirovograd. This exhibition wraps up nationwide competitions in each country for photography that expresses the joy, exuberance and beauty of life! Svetlana explains why this exhibition is important: "Sometimes activists lose heart and faith in the success of their efforts. We can begin to forget what we fight for – for life! And life must triumph in this fight. Life in all its variety, life in its sparkling optimism and its chain of unforgettable moments….We decided to remind everyone right now!"

Where Next?
Our team in Amsterdam has just set off for Vienna in a highly-visible bus, festooned with banners, slogans and bearing many messages, publications and souvenirs! At the same time, over the next three days, the tour will wrap up with events in Samara, Russia study visits in Berlin, Germany film screenings in Skopje, Macedonia and more! We will keep you posted at www.viennaexpress.org and on our Facebook page