Help prevent mother-to-child transmission this World AIDS Day You can mark this important day (Dec. 1) by giving mothers the tools they need to stop the spread of HIV to the next generation. A few simple measures can dramatically reduce a mother's risk of passing HIV to her child. But far too many moms lack access to care that can prolong their lives — and protect their children. Call your senators. Voice your support for programs to prevent mother-to-child-transmission of HIV. Read about our advocacy sucesses and the challenges ahead.

The Global AIDS Crisis

The impact on children

The AIDS pandemic is the one of the most devastating humanitarian disasters of our time, leaving a generation of children in jeopardy.
An estimated 15 million children under age 18 have been orphaned due to AIDS and the number is rising. About 11.6 million of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa. (1) AIDS destabilizes families and entire societies, leaving children without the care and support necessary to grow up, survive, and thrive.

Nearly 33 million people are living with HIV and AIDS, of which 2 million are children under the age of 15.(2) Children under 15 account for one in six AIDS related deaths and one in seven new HIV infections (3), which usually occur in the womb, during birth, or through breastfeeding.

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What is World Vision doing?

World Vision operates AIDS prevention and care programs in more than 60 countries. The organization’s work is particularly focused on meeting the needs of millions of children who have been made vulnerable because of the pandemic, especially those who have lost parents to AIDS-related causes. AIDS awareness is also a significant aspect of World Vision development programs, which provide long-term aid to communities pursuing self-sufficiency.

In partnership with local community and church leaders, World Vision staff and volunteer caregivers regularly visit households where there are vulnerable children and/or people are living with HIV and AIDS or other illnesses, like malaria. World Vision has trained and equipped some 77,000 home visitors.

In solidarity with these efforts, volunteers in America have already assembled more than 191,000 Caregiver kits, many of these at group events with their churches, companies, and other groups. The kits contain basic supplies that enable caregivers to serve their patients while protecting themselves from infection. Items include soap, washcloths, a flashlight, and ointments.

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U.S. a major force in the global AIDS fight

The United States has made significant contributions to the fight against global AIDS in the past few years — but we are still only skimming the surface.

Established in 2003, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the largest international health initiative dedicated to a specific disease. The three goals of PEPFAR are to: treat at least 3 million people, prevent 12 million new infections, and care for 12 million people, including 5 million orphans and vulnerable children, by 2013.

PEPFAR specifically includes a provision that sets aside 10 percent of the global AIDS budget to help care for orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS. World Vision played a critical role in securing this 10 percent dedication of funds.

The federal budget and appropriations cycle provides funding on an annual basis, so advocacy is necessary each year to ensure the resources remain available to meet the needs of millions impacted by HIV and AIDS. Each cycle brings competing priorities with special interest groups lobbying for funds.

World Vision works to:

• Ensure that funding for AIDS programs increase based on need;
• Protect the 10 percent funding for the care of AIDS-affected children;
• Support funding for other diseases, such as malaria, that directly impact AIDS.

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PEPFAR must be fully-funded and child-focused

Thanks to the courageous bipartisan efforts of Congress and the Administration, PEPFAR was renewed for another five years and signed into law on July 30, 2008. Having already provided approximately $16 billion over the last five years, this new legislation has committed the United States to providing almost $48 billion over five years for AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis programs.

In order to fulfill the U.S. commitments to continue and increase the contribution to the global HIV and AIDS emergency, World Vision calls on Congress to:

• Fully fund PEPFAR over the next five years by providing at least $7 billion in fiscal year 2009;
• Commit to setting aside 10 percent of AIDS funding for orphans and vulnerable children;
• Support programs that prevent spread of the disease by helping change the behaviors of young people, including encouraging abstinence and faithfulness.

Join us as we advocate for children affected by the global AIDS crisis.

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Learn more

• See what the Bible Has to Say About HIV and AIDS (PDF).
• Download a one-page talking points sheet (PDF).

Get involved

• Call your senators. Voice your support for programs to prevent mother-to-child-transmission of HIV.
• Visit the "World Vision Experience: AIDS" in a city near you.
• Sponsor a HopeChild in an AIDS-affected nation.

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Sources

1. UNAIDS (2008) Report on the global AIDS epidemic
2. UNAIDS (2008) Report on the global AIDS epidemic
3. UNAIDS (2008) Report on the global AIDS epidemic

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