HIV and AIDS

The need

HIV and AIDS has become one of the most publicized diseases in the world due to its deeply negative impact on individuals, communities, and long-term development. It is much more than a health crisis—it impacts nearly every dimension of social and economic life, robbing children of their parents, devastating workforces, and undermining economies. Today, 33.4 million people are living with HIV and AIDS, of which 2.1 million are children under age 15.

A significant number of all people living with HIV and AIDS are in the world’s poorest countries. Poverty intensifies the struggle as sick parents lose their ability to earn an income, medical services are either non-existent or absorb household financial resources, and a lack of food and other basic necessities give way to a daily quest for survival.

Many children are forced to drop out of school in order to take on extra household responsibilities in their parents’ absence. UNICEF predicts the number of children who have lost one or both parents due to AIDS will reach 20 million this year (currently, there are 14 million in Africa alone).

In addition, many mothers with HIV do not have access to prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services, and can pass the virus on to their infants—the vast majority of children under age 15 living with HIV acquired the virus during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding.

The pandemic has reached nearly every part of the world, with sub-Saharan Africa hit the hardest. It is home to more than 71 percent of all people who were newly infected withHIV in 2008. What’s more, treatment and prevention of HIV is often neglected because of the social stigma and fear associated with the virus. Consequently, many people fail to be tested or treated for HIV.care.

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Fast facts

• An estimated 32.9 million people are living with HIV and AIDS worldwide.
• Every day, nearly 7,400 people become infected with HIV and more than 5,400 die from AIDS.
• Since the beginning of the epidemic, 27 million people have died from AIDS-related causes.
• Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most heavily affected, accounting for 67 percent of all people living with HIV and 72 percent of AIDS deaths.
• Young people ages 15 to 24 years old account for an estimated 45 percent of new HIV infections worldwide.
• At the end of 2008, 42 percent of those in need of antiretroviral treatment in low- and middle-income countries were receiving it.

Source: UNAIDS

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World Vision's response

Due to the global scope and impact of HIV and AIDS, significant resources are needed to both prevent new cases and provide care and treatment to those living with the virus, as well as care for affected orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). Through government and bilateral grants, public-private partnerships, and private funds, World Vision implements HIV and AIDS their potential by reducing the impact of the disease through expanding prevention, strengthening household and community capacity to care, and promoting advocacy. A main aspect of prevention is mothers' access to PMTCT services. Due to its strategic presence at the community level, World Vision is positioning itself to improve access and create demand for PMTCT services, complementing government and other partners' efforts at health facilities.

During fiscal year 2009, World Vision assisted more than 1.2 million OVC made vulnerable by AIDS, brought community and home-based care to more than 102,000 people living with the virus, and reached 600,000 children with life skills and knowledge to prevent infection. Additionally, World Vision reached more than 44,000 faith leaders and congregational members with the life-saving and stigma-reducing faith-based program, Channels of Hope.

To care for hardest-hit communities, World Vision increases children's access to nutritional food, healthcare, and safe water. Projects encourage testing, counseling, and education so that those affected can learn to live with the virus and protect others from infection, including through PMTCT services, which World Vision strives to provide access to for all pregnant mothers with HIV in World Vision areas. To prevent the advancement of HIV and AIDS, World Vision offers education on how it is spread and how to avoid transmitting it to others. World Vision also advocates for public policies that promote effective methods of HIV prevention and AIDS care.

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Key projects

• Zambia
  The PEPFAR-funded public-private partnership, Reaching HIV and AIDS Affected People with Integrated Development and Support (RAPIDS) projects, have helped 260,000 children access healthcare, education, and psychosocial support.RAPIDS trained more than 19,500 volunteer caregivers and provided them with supplies to support 65,790 people living with HIV. Youth prevention activities have reached almost 100,000 youth through trained volunteer peer educators who also teach livelihood skills.


• DRC
  World Vision is integrating a PMTCT component in the primary healthcare AXxes project in the DRC. The PMTCT component of the project is striving to implement a comprehensive and integrated program in 40 rural health zones (three sites per zone) to improve access to PMTCT services.


• Tanzania, Kenya, and Haiti
  World Vision's Abstinence and Risk Avoidance for Youth (ARK) project in these countries, has reached 560,000 children and adults with programs promoting abstinence and faithfulness as the best means to prevent HIV. Another 12,600 have been trained as peer educators. Funded by PEPFAR, the project engages youth, parents, and religious leaders to encourage behavior change.

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Collaborations and partnerships

Principal recipient of PEPFAR and Global Fund grants

• Participant at International AIDS Conference
• Global AIDS Alliance member
• InterAction's HIV and AIDS working group member
• Member of CORE Group
• Global Health Council member
• Partner of other internatioanl NGOs

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