Breaking the Cycle
HIV/AIDS devastates the lives of millions of children. Over 2 million children are HIV positive, and 12 million children in sub-Saharan Africa alone have been orphaned by AIDS. Left untreated, half of all HIV-infected children will die by the age of two. As the death toll keeps rising, progress in education and healthcare is slowly eroding, and entire communities are in danger of losing their economic and social viability. UNICEF is committed to helping those who are suffering the consequences of HIV/AIDS and to break the cycle of this deadly disease.
Mother-to-child transmission is the main cause of HIV infection in young children—and it is on the rise. UNICEF has implemented programs worldwide to stop the transmission of HIV from mother to child. We test and treat pregnant women so they don’t pass on the disease in the first place, and we treat infected babies so they can live full, healthy lives.
Care for Vulnerable Children
We are there for children when the rest of the world has abandoned them. Our support centers offer children who live with sick parents or alone, or who have HIV/AIDS themselves, a safe place to get a meal, learn a trade, and play with other children. And we help orphanages all over the world provide HIV-positive children with proper medical care and a safe home.
UNICEF is committed to fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic. We educate communities to remove the stigma of the disease, and we offer HIV prevention education so that women and young people can protect themselves from the disease. We are at the forefront of a global movement to halt the devastation of HIV/AIDS, and we will do whatever it takes to protect the rights and lives of those affected by the disease.
Related Links
August 14, 2008
17th International AIDS Conference closes with a focus on children
As the 17th International AIDS Conference came to a close in Mexico City, issues affecting children were front and center. "This conference is the first one that's really had children on the agenda," said UNICEF's HIV/AIDS Chief Jimmy Kolker.
August 11, 2008
UNICEF focuses on children affected by AIDS during the 2008 Olympic Games
As the eyes of the world turn towards China for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, UNICEF is taking the opportunity to focus attention on one of the country's most marginalized groups—children affected by HIV and AIDS.
July 15, 2008
Photo exhibition in Mozambique shows impact of AIDS through the eyes of children
Last year, 21 children aged 11 through 17 took to the streets of Maputo with cameras to document their lives and their communities. Over the course of two weeks, with help from a team of professional photographers, they opened the doors of their homes and learned how to tell their stories through the camera's lens.
