The AIDS Trust of Australia was extremely pleased to provide funding to Anwernekenhe – the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander HIV/AIDS Alliance (ANA) in its 2010 funding distributions. This funding will allow a highly successful network of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people affected by HIV to set their own priorities in HIV prevention and support for people living with HIV. The ANA mobilises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to protect themselves from HIV transmission and to support their community members already affected by HIV. It provides national leadership on HIV in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, produces services and resources to support the prevention effort and healthier lives of people living with HIV, and it fosters and enhances their delivery at a community level. For sixteen years, the work of the ANA has been led by community consultation and engagement, including a quadrennial conference. A coherent, collaborative and consistent process has been produced that remains more effective because it is culturally specific. This community driven response has been a major contributor to the lower per capita rate of HIV transmission among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The ANA is already seeking to respond to new challenges presented by HIV, such as the impact of greater numbers of highly mobile workers across Australia – particularly in the resources sector. The ANA has taken on a broader role to support the nation’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to understand and address these challenges. Funding from the AIDS Trust of Australia will allow the next national conference – Anwernekenhe 5 – to bring together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from across Australia and enable them to set their own priorities in HIV prevention, service delivery and support. With the help of our donors, the AIDS Trust of Australia intends to maintain a long standing partnership with the ANA to enable it to keep playing its key role: preventing HIV among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. “The ANA is extremely pleased to be working with the AIDS Trust of Australia and its donors as we head toward Anwernekenhe 5, our fifth national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Conference this August. Exploring, identifying and discussing HIV/AIDS in cultural context will define the important work of the ANA for the coming years.” Michael Costello Chair, ANA.