Who is at risk?
Where is it happening?
Why is it happening?
Education is the key
How is CIDA helping?
How can you get involved?
Links to other organizations offering further information

The Africa Directions/Bauze CommunityYouth Centre in Zambia provides young people aged 18 to 25 with information on safe sex practices and HIV/AIDS prevention.

A 14-year-old Indian boy is in despair—he has just been diagnosed as HIV-positive. He is among the 3.2 million boys and girls under the age of 15 living with HIV/AIDS around the world.

A 14-year-old African girl is also burdened by sadness. She has lost both her parents to HIV/AIDS and has had to drop out of school, find a job and take care of her younger brothers and sisters. She is among the 13 million children around the world who have become orphans because of the disease.

For those who have the disease and for those families and communities left to cope with the devastation of HIV/AIDS, the future is disappearing before their eyes.

Millions of children orphaned In sub-Saharan Africa alone, an estimated 11 million children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS another 13 million children worldwide have lost at least one parent to HIV/AIDS. This number is expected to double by 2010. When children are orphaned, many of them have to leave school to work or take care of younger brothers and sisters. Most will not return to school. Much of this generation's potential will be lost.

The virus does not care whether you live in a developed or developing country, are male or female, rich or poor, educated or illiterate, young or old. The odds of getting the disease increase among those who have sex without using condoms, among injection drug users who share dirty needles, among those born of HIV-positive mothers and among those who have had transfusions of infected blood or blood products. As well, the odds rise where people have less access to HIV/AIDS information, education, treatment and care.

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Where is it happening?

HIV/AIDS is now called a global pandemic. This means the disease is very widely spread around the world. Forty-two million men, women and children are living with HIV/AIDS. Nearly 90 percent of them live in developing countries. The 12 countries of Sub-Saharan Africa are the hardest hit, where over 29 million people have the disease. However, HIV/AIDS is also increasing rapidly in other areas of the world—especially among young people between 15 to 24 in developing countries. HIV/AIDS spreads fastest in places where there is poverty, little education or health care and where the human rights of men, women and children are violated.

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Why is it happening?

Thanks to a loan from the CIDA-sponsored AIDS Widows and Orphans Family Support (AWOFS), this woman was able to set up a small business so that she could support her family.

The spread of HIV/AIDS is hard to control because it is highly infectious and there is no known cure. There are, however, medications that allow HIV-positive people to live longer with the disease. The best means of not getting the disease is to avoid unprotected intimate contact with someone who has the disease.

Governments must recognize that HIV/AIDS is a danger to everyone and be ready to educate their citizens. However, not every government is willing to make this commitment. Governments also have a responsibility to ensure that treatment and care is available to those living with HIV/AIDS. They must also ensure that the drugs that can help them live longer, more productive lives and contribute to their communities are available and affordable. In August 2003, the international community decided to open the door to affordable drugs for developing countries. Canada is the first country in the world to respond by introducing in Parliament the necessary amendments to its patent and drug legislation to make this a reality. Canada is also working with developing countries to make sure that they have the skills and institutions to make the most of these opportunities.

Girls and women at greatest risk Every day, 3,000 women around the world are infected with HIV/AIDS. Women are more at risk in societies where they do not have the same status and rights as men. This means they have less power over their lives. Men often make the decisions in sexual relationships, and this often means unprotected sex. Women and girls risk being subjected to sexual violence. Women and girls have less access to health care and information on prevention and treatment. Girls are especially at risk for contracting the AIDS virus. Nearly half the HIV infections today are in the 15-24 age group. Girls in this age group are seven times as likely as boys to become infected. They are often sexually active earlier than boys. Girls’ bodies are also more susceptible to infection because their underdeveloped reproductive systems are more fragile, increasing their exposure to the virus. For more on this topic, read CIDA’s paper on Women and AIDS.

People must also be willing to talk about the disease and to change their behaviour so they will not risk their health. This is not always easy to do in some societies where people do not feel comfortable talking about the disease or where they are not willing to change how they live. It is often difficult to communicate HIV/AIDS information, especially in countries where many people cannot read or where women and children are not included in discussions.

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Education is the key

When people have good information about the cause and prevention of HIV/AIDS, they can behave more safely. This is why HIV/AIDS education is so important, especially for children and young adults. Many young people are joining groups that are creatively using music, theatre, dance, even soccer teams to educate their friends and others about how to have healthy relationships, care for their health and prevent HIV/AIDS infection.

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How is CIDA helping?

Through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Canadian government is helping fight the spread of HIV/AIDS. The Government is doing this through CIDA’s HIV/AIDS Action Plan.

CIDA sponsors many prevention, education and care programs around the world. It works with local organizations to train young people to educate others on HIV/AIDS prevention. In Nairobi, Kenya, one of these programs has significantly reduced the rise of the disease.

Canada is supporting a global research effort to develop a vaccine that could, one day, help prevent AIDS. CIDA also supports the work of other international organizations such as the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

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How can you get involved?

Get the information: Check out The kids AIDS site; International AIDS Society; Joint United Nations Program on HIV/IDS (UNAIDS); or UNESCO’s Action Against HIV/AIDS.

Get connected: Discuss with your friends. Break the silence, encourage frank discussions on the issues. Consult Positive Youth Outreach for how to approach the topic. Or visit Let’s Talk where you can discuss the issue in online chat rooms.

Make a difference: Create art or write about HIV/AIDS. Submit it to the butterfly 208 contest.

Join others: Become a health activist in such groups as the International Youth Alliance for Development against AIDS or Youth Shakers.

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Links to other organizations offering further information

Canadian HIV Resource Centre Network
CARE
HIV Positive: AIDS Through a New Lens photo exhibit
The HIV/AIDS Impact on Education Clearinghouse
World Bank
World Health Organization
YouthHIV