Project Overview

Of all the regions of the world, Africa south of the Sahara has been hardest hit by HIV and AIDS.  Around 13 million children from sub-Saharan Africa have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS and this number is estimated to reach 18 million by the year 2010*.

There is a great diversity among countries and even within countries in the current levels and trends in the epidemic.  However across the region the roles played by community volunteers and leaders, households and extended families and community groups in prevention of HIV and care for people living with HIV and their families is significant. 

The Reducing Community Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS Program is a five-year program jointly managed by Plan and in-country partners in Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and by Plan's partner, the Burnet Institute in Mozambique. 

In some of the communities covered by this Program, every household is affected by HIV/AIDS – many households may have a family member living with HIV or have lost someone to HIV/AIDS or have children from extended families whose parents have died living in the household.

Program Aims

This Program seeks to assist families and communities to strengthen their responses to the multifaceted challenges they face due to poverty and HIV.

Reducing vulnerability and increasing the resilience of children and adults, households and communities, involves:

• enabling children and adults to be able to protect themselves from HIV infection
• improving access of people who are already living with HIV or AIDS and their families to appropriate care and support, to help them maintain their health and provide for their families
• reducing the impact of HIV and AIDS on family food security and livelihoods, the care and protection of children and others affected by HIV through group and community-based responses.
  

In the third year of implementation that ended in June 2007, the Program has made considerable progress to address individual, family and community vulnerability through work related to each of the three Program themes:

1. Reducing stigma, discrimination and denial of the rights of people affected by HIV/AIDS
2. Strengthening capacity of communities, community based organisations, non government organisations and government to increase the quality and scale of services responding to the needs of people affected by HIV/AIDS
3. Increasing capacity and opportunities for orphans and vulnerable children to develop within their communities.
   
   

The funding need

AusAID (the Australian Government Agency for International Development) through the Australian Partnerships with African Communities Program (APAC) is providing funding of $10 million over the five years of the program, with additional funding for the Program being raised by the Australian community.

* an orphan is defined as any child under 18 years of ago who has lost one or both parents, source UNAIDS, UNICEF, USADI (2004).