MISSION & PURPOSE

Maui AIDS Foundation (MAF) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) health and social service organization always striving to meet the needs of the Maui County community, including but not limited to serving: those incarcerated, those living with hepatitis, and other STIs, people living with HIV, substance use, LGBTQIA+ and Mahu populations, women at-risk and others at-risk, Native Hawaiian communities, and mental illness by promoting wellness and enhancing their quality of life.

HISTORY

Maui AIDS Foundation was founded in 1986 as a community-based response to the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS on Maui and incorporated as a 501(c)3 that same year. Like many other AIDS Service Organizations (ASOs), Maui AIDS Foundation emerged first as a grassroots, volunteer-based agency, where helping friends affected by AIDS was the principle work. Gradually, as funding, medications, and treatment options became available, especially through the State of Hawaii and the federal Ryan White Care Act, staff was hired and programs were made formal.

In the late 1990s Maui AIDS Foundation ventured into housing for persons living with HIV, first by managing a home for people living with AIDS on the Kula Hospital grounds. This home was for clients who were homeless and needed intensive support from staff. Maui AIDS Foundation continues to link clients to housing through our Case Management Department.

Several grants specifically for prevention outreach came from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and from the State of Hawaii. These grants provided staff funding for outreach to at-risk populations on Maui, Molokai, and Lanai. They also allowed MAF to form various support groups for HIV-positive clients, for women at risk for HIV infection, and young gay and bisexual men of color. Safer sex kits (SSKs) became a trademark of the Maui AIDS Foundation, consisting of condoms, lubrication, and an HIV prevention message.