Farha Foundation march raises money for HIV/AIDS programs
23rd edition of Ça marche fundraising effort hopes to bring in $400K
More than 4,000 people took to the streets on Sunday to raise money for the Farha Foundation to fight HIV and AIDS in Quebec.
The "Ça marche" event hopes to raise $400,000 for HIV education, prevention initiatives, and services for those with the virus.
The seven-kilometre walk started in the Quartier des spectacles and winded through downtown streets.
Since 1992, the foundation has distributed close to $9.5 million to 76 organizations.
Linda Farha, the foundation's president, says that education and prevention are still necessary, especially among youth. Members of this demographic protect themselves less, she says, since they didn't live through the '80s and '90s, when AIDS was a major concern and treatments were scarce.
Four Quebecers are diagnosed with HIV every day, Farha says. More than 20,000 people in the province carry the virus.