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AIDS CRISIS FAQsINFORMATION ABOUT THE AIDS CRISISWhat is World Vision doing about the AIDS pandemic?How does AIDS affect the poor? Where is the need the greatest? Who is most affected by AIDS? Is it really possible to turn the tide on the AIDS crisis? What is World Vision doing about the AIDS pandemic? World Vision operates AIDS prevention and care programs in more than 60 countries. We focus especially on meeting the needs of children who have been made vulnerable because of the pandemic, particularly those who have lost parents due to AIDS. Learn how you can partner with us to help turn the tide on AIDS. How does AIDS affect the poor? Rising child mortality rates and falling life expectancies due to AIDS mean that much of the progress made fighting poverty in recent decades is being lost. For example, in the hardest-hit areas, an emerging middle class is being pushed below the poverty line by loss of income and by medical bills. Meanwhile, few of the poorest families can afford to see a doctor. Even fewer can afford AIDS medications. When children lose parents to AIDS, grandparents often become guardians. If the grandparents are gone, older children will likely be forced to drop out of school to look after their younger siblings. Where is the need the greatest? Sub-Saharan Africa. According to the United Nations, nearly 22.5 million Africans are living with HIV. In Africa, the adult rate of infection is six times higher than it is in the rest of the world. Who is most affected by AIDS? In sub-Saharan Africa, more than sixty percent of those living with HIV are women. In part because of cultural limitations on female rights and freedoms, more African women are infected than men. Also, more than 90 percent of all HIV-positive children live in Africa. In most cases, these children were either born with HIV or infected through breastfeeding. Is it really possible to turn the tide on the AIDS crisis? AIDS has devastated millions of African families. But there are signs of hope. Uganda was the first country to report a decline in cases of infection. Since 1991, Uganda's infection rate has dropped from 15 percent to 6.7 percent. Similar successes have been seen in Rwanda, Kenya, Senegal, and urban areas of Zimbabwe, as well as in countries in the Caribbean and Asia. We believe that through values-based prevention training and community-based care, we can help turn the tide on AIDS. Learn what you can do to respond to the AIDS crisis. Visit World Vision's web site for in-depth resources about the AIDS crisis. |
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