HIV and AIDS

39.5 million people live with HIV, mostly in poor countries, and every year the virus spreads – new infections topped 3.4 million in 2006 alone (UNAIDS 2006).

Relebohile at her studies
In Lesotho, CARE is providing school meals for AIDS orphans and teaching  them to grow their own gardens. ©CARE

Killing parents and teachers, it is leaving a generation orphaned - 17 million are expected to be orphaned by 2010 - and many more go without an education.  In Zambia, 16 per cent of the adult population is living with HIV and AIDS, which is paralysing the country’s economy. 

Worldwide, CARE runs 156 HIV and AIDS projects, helping 12 million people who live with the disease have a better life. And we are calling policy makers and governments to help people living with or affected by HIV and AIDS earn more money in order to live more secure lives.

Our programmes help people earn a decent living. Every extra £1 a person earns means better food, crucial in preventing HIV and giving people with the disease a healthier life. It also means they can get medication and have the ability to care for themselves and their families.

We also help orphans and vulnerable children go to school and their carers to earn more money. To help stop the stigma attached to HIV and AIDS and its spread, CARE is running education programmes, and we are helping communities access affordable healthcare beyond antiretroviral drugs.

Help CARE fight poverty and bring care and dignity to those suffering from HIV and AIDS. Donate now.

CARE is a Stop AIDS coalition member, an initiative of more than 80 of the UK's leading development and HIV and AIDS groups campaigning for urgent action.