AIDS - no longer a death sentence

Since the 1980s, AIDS has become one of the most deadly, contagious diseases the world has ever known.

AIDS has a destructive effect on all aspects of human life – and on a country’s social and economic development. The epidemic is especially catastrophic for children. In Africa, the disease has so far claimed the parents of more than 12 million children – and childhoods.

Ignorance, oppression, poverty – and the lack of interest on the part of governmental leaders and the church to talk about sex – has made AIDS flourish.

Fortunately, an AIDS diagnosis is no longer a death sentence, not even for the poorest people in the world. Many countries are now experiencing the results of many years’ information about how people become infected with HIV and how you protect yourself.

Knowledge has the power of change:

Young people in Africa, between the age of 14 and 25, have heard the message about modes of transmission and protection
They generally postpone their sexual debut, use contraception and live by the slogan, ”Know Your Status”
In 15 of the 21 countries that are the worst afflicted, the number of young people who are affected with the disease has dropped with 25 percent
AIDS medication continually improves and becomes cheaper
The medicine will keep the disease at bay, which means that parents can live with their children for longer
The medicine weakens the AIDS virus and reduces the danger of infection to such an extent that medicine is often a more effective prevention than condoms

The principal challenge is money

Despite the promises held in the 2015 goals, governments all over the world are reducing their support to international AIDS work. The governments in both the U.S. and Europe are cutting back on their support to treatments and prevention.

Governments in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe have neither lived up to their promises of financing AIDS treatments nor other health services.

So, even though the medicine is gradually becoming more inexpensive, the chances of getting it have worsened – waiting lists are growing, and the stock of medicine is being drained all over the world.

What we do

AIDS is not simply a disease – it is a social problem. Therefore, via a series of contributions, DanChurchAid takes part in the battle against AIDS:

The silence must be broken
The ignorant must be informed
Care and treatment for the sick
The bereaved need role models
Rights
The leaders must lead the way in the battle against AIDS

16/06/2011 Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa

“OWN, SCALE-UP and SUSTAIN” is the motto of the 16th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in Africa (ICASA) to be held from 4 - 8 December 2011 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

19/10/2010 Beauty Contest with a Difference

A beauty contest among HIV positive women was held on 6 September 2010 at the Global Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The motto, “Living Positively” confronts stigma and discrimination and the twenty contestants represented all regions of Ethiopia.

16/04/2010 AIDS follows the Heroin Route

When Nato and its allies went to war in Afghanistan, the alliance promised to curtail the export of drugs to Europe. So far their efforts have not been very successful. In a new film Danish Journalist and Filmmaker, Michael Andersen, shows how drug smuggling routes though the former Soviet Republics of Central Asia bring new dangers to the area.

01/12/2009 Tutu: HIV is not statistical

All of these people are not statistics. This is the child of somebody, it is the mother of some child. It is the father of a family.” A major religious leader says the world can no longer think of HIV in developing countries as a problem that sits in isolation from other countries.

22/10/2008 Five fish per intercourse

By the shore of Lake Malawi women offer their bodies as payment for freshly caught fish, since they have no money. The nightly activities spread HIV and produces fatherless children. SWAM project helps the women take better care of them selves.

20/10/2008 Africa Commission policy notes

The Danish government has established an Africa Commission on effective development cooperation with Africa.

27/08/2008 Untimely death of a HIV/AIDS protagonist

On August 4, 2008 the Executive Director of the Churches Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ), Dr. Simon Mphuka, passed away at the age of 46 in what was felt as an untimely death of a visionary, charismatic and engaged leader. Simon Mphuka was an excellent listener and always smiling in spite of the often serious nature of the work he and DanChurchAid would discuss together.

02/07/2008 Human rigths, HIV and AIDS prevention and gender equality

Faith based organisations (FBOs) have a unique possibility and responsibility to address one of the most important drivers of the aids pandemic, namely gender inequality. View the position paper "Human Rights, HIV and AIDS prevention and Gender Equality", which has been co-signed by DanChurchAid's sister agencies: Christian Aid, Norwegian Church Aid, FinnChurchAid, ICCO, Brot fur die Welt and Kerk in Actie.

14/05/2008 The nightbus of Sct. Petersburg

In St. Petersburg, Humanitarian Action addresses the problem of increasing HIV infections, distributing syringes and condoms to those primarily driving the epidemic forward: injecting drug users. Read this report from Maj Kastanje in St. Petersburg, where she works as a trainee with DCA’s partner Humanitarian Action.

06/05/2008 It’s about social change

Participants of the Second Eastern European and Central Asian AIDS Conference in Moscow have confirmed to each other that many positive developments have been taking place since the first conference was held in 2006.

05/05/2008 A closing window of opportunity - DCA report on HIV/AIDS in Russia

The HIV/AIDS situation in the Russian Federation is worsening, and the epidemic may spread, a new report from DanChurchAid concludes.

05/03/2008 New report on HIV and AIDS

According to a new report published by DanChurchAid, the number of AIDS orphans is projected to exceed 20 million worldwide by 2010. In 2005 that same figure was 15 million orphans. It is a tragedy of enormous dimensions and it puts a tremendous strain on the traditional family safety net and community structures.

25/02/2008 HIV and AIDS discrimination is coming to an end

About 1% of the Cambodian population is infected with HIV or AIDS. Cambodia's women are the new high risk group of infection. They get infected by their husbands and are, apart from the health risks, also in high risk of ending up in extreme poverty. HIV is still a stigmatizing disease in Cambodia although; however, it has changed a lot after several HIV and AIDS awareness campaigns throughout the country.

14/01/2008 Monks teach HIV and AIDS awareness

The pagodas of Cambodia have allied themselves with organisations fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS; Their monks are now teaching prevention and awareness to people all over the country.

23/11/2007 Warning signal is still on

According to a new report by UNAIDS, the Number of HIV positive in the world is not as high as earlier assumed. DanChurchAid is pleased with the news, but points out that the fight against AIDS is far from over.

26/10/2007 HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention and support

1,6% of the population of Cambodia is living with HIV/AIDS. DanChurchAid works with HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, care and support in the rural communities.

08/09/2007 Faith and AIDS: Faith plays a crucial role when working with AIDS

Religion and faith plays an important role for an effective response to HIV and AIDS, but joint efforts sensitive to religion between faith-based organisation and governmental and civil society organisations have proven difficult. Now a new comprehensive book can help overcome the obstacles and bring new and more effective partnerships to life.

02/08/2007 Better Health Service is crucial in the fight against AIDS

New report: The Fight against AIDS is the Fight for Better Health Service. Lack of Health Care Workers and well functioning Health Care Systems are some of the biggest obstacles in stopping the spread of HIV and AIDS.

27/04/2007 Fighting HIV & AIDS worldwide

DanChurchAid has just published a new folder about its work in the fight against AIDS. It presents the many different ways in which the disease can and have to be fought, and it is rich on examples of projects that in different ways fight the disease, its causes and help stop the spread of the infection.

13/04/2007 Spreading the circles

DCA partner Circles of Hope in Zambia is working to improve awareness of HIV/AIDS, to encourage people to attend counseling and testing, they fight against stigmatization by openly declaring their status. They encourage positive living and try some income generating activities to help the affected families.

14/03/2007 More nurses needed

Almost 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV, and every day more people are added to the list. One of the biggest obstacles is the severe lack of nurses and bad healthcare systems.

23/02/2007 Facts about HIV/AIDS

As of today approximately 65 million people have been infected with HIV and more than 25 million have died because of AIDS.

12/01/2007 AIDS hits poor people harder

Poor people are at higher risk of HIV infection. Poverty increases the vulnerability to the disease and it makes the already poor poorer. These are some of the conclusions in a new report done by one of DanChurchAid’s partners in Zambia.

01/12/2006 HIV/AIDS awareness in Darfur

To mark World AIDS Day (December 1), the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC), a local partner of ACT-Caritas, has organized three days of events in Nyala town, the capital of South Darfur state.

29/11/2006 World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day, 1 December is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV and AIDS. DanChurchAid marks World AIDS Day by focusing on the AIDS pandemic, the young people and the role of the church in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

25/10/2006 Flight tax helps the fight against HIV/AIDS

There will be a special tax on all flights from a number of destinations this year. The returns from the taxes are to support the fight against tuberculoses, malaria and HIV/AIDS all over the world. These three diseases kill millions of people each year, and are a great hindrance for development in poor countries.

19/10/2006 Women bear the HIV/AIDS burden

Young women and girls often bear the economic and social burden of alleviating the effects of HIV/AIDS.

01/10/2006 HIV/AIDS in Zambia

DanChurchAid in Zambia is working with HIV/AIDS prevention and counselling. The rights of orphans and care for families infected and affected by HIV/AIDS are in focus.

24/09/2006 Mainstreaming

DanChurchAid has developed a HIV/AIDS staff policy and actively supports the development of such policies in its partner organisations.

24/09/2006 Accountability

DanChurchAid advocates for increased and equitable access to the whole spectrum of HIV and AIDS response including treatment.

24/09/2006 Protection

Unequal access and lack of control over productive resources and non-risky income opportunities often contribute in leading vulnerable women, girls and boys to engage in transactional sex. This is a major risk factor in HIV transmission.

24/09/2006 People living with HIV/AIDS

People often fear the stigma of having HIV/AIDS more than the disease itself. Stigma and discrimination reduce the effectiveness of any HIV/AIDS response.

18/09/2006 Empowerment

The right to decide freely when, how and with whom to have sex and when to have children, is a key human right. This right is also a critical pre-condition for any effective HIV prevention effort. Sexual and reproductive rights are therefore a central aspect of DanChurchAid's work.

08/09/2006 Regional overview of HIV/AIDS work

Through partners, DanChurchAid works with HIV/AIDS projects in Africa, Asia, Central America and Eastern Europe. HIV and AIDS is fast becoming the worst ever disease related global disaster. The human suffering and the economic and social cost of the pandemic is escalating, in particular in Sub-Saharan Africa but no region of the world is left untouched.

16/08/2006 Youths fight against HIV/AIDS in Darfur

In Nyala, the principal town in south Darfur, some youths have chosen to fight. But they have taken up arms against a very different opponent to that of other armed groups - they are fighting against HIV/AIDS.

24/07/2006 HIV boom in Russia

In 1995 about 1,000 Russians were reported to be infected with HIV. In 2006 the number had risen to 375,000. The UN estimates that the actual number could be close to 1, 6 million - roughly 1% of the entire Russian population.

16/06/2006 A social vaccine against HIV/AIDS

From the Katondwe Mission Hospital in Zambia the Sisters and local volunteers work hard to fight HIV/AIDS. Katondwe is one of eight project sights in the Danida/DCA funded FCCT programme; a programme that works to spread a “social vaccine” against the HIV/AIDS virus in Zambia.

14/06/2006 Strong women in Zambia

In Zambia a group of women fight to change oppressing traditions and rituals that increase the women’s risk of being infected with HIV.

05/05/2006 Poverty indicators in regression in Zambia

Almost all poverty indicators are in regression in Zambia. The situation affects the poor people’s rights, the health system and the food security.

14/11/2005 Lessons learnt

Uganda and Thailand are considered best practise cases in the fight against HIV/AIDS due to many years of sustained and broad efforts to prevent HIV infection and alleviate the negative social impact of AIDS.

04/05/2005 Reducing HIV/AIDS in Zambia

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has levelled of in Zambia. This is primarily assigned to the preventive activities with focus on behavioural change.

Where we work

Guatemala

Sudan

India

Angola

Congo (DCR)

Ethiopia

Malawi

Uganda

Zambia

Bangladesh

Burma/Myanmar

Cambodia

Nepal

Pakistan

Haiti

Honduras

West Bank/Gaza

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Lebanon

Together we change the world

What we do

DanChurchAid believes

Henrik Stubkjær, Secretary General

Work with us

AIDS - no longer a death sentence

The principal challenge is money

What we do

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