Over 14 million children worldwide have lost one or both parents to AIDS. The disease has caused much suffering all over the world and is once more on the rise in Eastern Europe, but Africa remains by far the most heavily affected continent. Almost 90% of all people with HIV live in Africa and more than 90 % of all AIDS deaths take place in Africa, even though less than 15 % of the world's population live there. Halting and beginning to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS is one of the UN's Millennium Development Goals.
SOS Children’s Villages joins the fight in the 1990’s
As a global organisation which campaigns for the protection and support of children who do not have adequate parental care, SOS Children’s Villages started to focus attention on dealing with HIV/AIDS in the 1990s as part of its mandate in response to this situation.
Information is key against infection and stigmatisation
If children and young people are to choose a lifestyle which will protect them from the possibility of being infected with HIV, they must be given access to age-appropriate information and education on the disease. It is equally necessary to educate adults so they can continue to care for their children: with the appropriate medical, financial and psychological support, people who are HIV positive or living with AIDS can lead very active lives. SOS Children's Villages actively works against the stigmatisation and exclusion of people on the grounds of their HIV status.
Joining forces with communities and families
SOS Children's Villages operates a large number of education, prevention and treatment programmes through its SOS Medical Centres, SOS Social Centres and community-based projects. In collaboration with communities and local authorities, families receive support to build their capacity to protect and care for their children (e.g. income generation, parental skills) and to gain access to essential services (e.g. education, medical care). The SOS Medical Centres provide care and education on the prevention of the disease and psychological support.
SOS Children’s Villages’ HIV/AIDS policy adopted 2008
The year 2008 saw the adoption of the global HIV/AIDS Policy “Joining in the fight against HIV and AIDS” (pdf). It describes the position of SOS Children’s Villages on the topic and sets out a framework for action.
Source: UNAIDS