Reducing funding to fight AIDS/HIV a mistake

Reducing funding to fight AIDS/HIV a mistake – Save the Children

1 December 2011

A major shortfall in pledged resources to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS/HIV, tuberculosis and Malaria could leave up to 1.4 million orphans and vulnerable children without support and hamstring successful prevention and treatment activities for those most at risk, said Save the Children on World AIDS Day.

The Global Fund accounts for one fifth of external assistance for people affected by HIV and AIDS, and two-thirds of funding for tuberculosis and malaria. However, for the first time in its 10-year history, it has insufficient international government and private sector support.

Global Campaign Director for Save the Children Patrick Watt says that in the current economic climate, governments obviously have to think very carefully about how they spend taxpayer’s money.

“Just as the world is making huge strides in the fight against HIV and AIDS, the goal of creating an AIDS-free generation, where no children are born with HIV, could slip away if the Global Fund is unable to scale up its work," he said.

“There is a strong economic case for investing in tackling HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria – we know it pays many times over, whereas doing nothing does not.

“A recent OECD survey of studies into the economic costs of HIV/AIDS suggests the disease slows the pace of economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2 – 4% per annum.”

HIV/AIDS in the Pacific

Closer to home, there is also much work to be done in the Pacific to fight HIV/AIDS. In Papua New Guinea (PNG), where there is the highest rate of HIV prevalence in the Pacific, unemployed youth are still at high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). Drug and alcohol abuse is common and few young people have an education beyond primary school.

Save the Children New Zealand is supporting health programmes in PNG with the help from the New Zealand Government’s Aid Programme.

One way we are doing this is by training young volunteers to teach other young people how to reduce their risk of infection.

Although not always an easily road – due to the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS and cultural traditions that discourage open conversations about sex – this approach is improving youth health and creating a more educated and supportive community.

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