HIV/AIDS

The majority of the 40 million people infected with HIV/AIDS live in developing countries. Lack of education and the financial burden of HIV/AIDS continue to drive millions more into poverty.

The facts

60 million people have been infected, 25 million have died and 14 million children from sub-Saharan Africa alone have been orphaned since the HIV/AIDS pandemic began. This year approximately 2 million people will die and 2.7 million will contract HIV/AIDS.

Sub-Saharan Africa is the worst affected region. Over 26 million people are currently living with HIV/AIDS here and prevalence rates are as high as 30 percent in countries such as Botswana and Swaziland.

• HIV = Human Immunodeficiency Virus
• AIDS = Acquired Human Immunodeficiency Syndrome

A person who contracts the HIV virus is said to be HIV positive. The virus attacks a person’s immune system, preventing their body from fighting off illnesses and infections. As the disease progresses, usually over 6 to 10 years (although it can happen much more rapidly), many contract other serious diseases such as tuberculosis and are then considered to have AIDS.

Although antiretroviral treatments can reduce the mortality and morbidity of HIV, their high cost means that prevention is the key to controlling the pandemic. There is still no cure.

The Catholic Church and its agencies are one of the largest providers of HIV/AIDS treatment in the world.

Our Caritas approach

One in four people with HIV/AIDS in the developing world is supported by the Catholic Church, and Caritas Australia alone has over 20 years' experience in responding to the crisis.

Caritas Australia takes a three-phased approach to the HIV/AIDS programs we support:

• First, we aim to offer those suffering from HIV/AIDS a dignified life through providing healthcare, counselling, nutrition and training.
• Second, we support those who are directly impacted, such as the children and parents of people with HIV/AIDS, who are often left without the breadwinner of the family.
• Lastly we educate the public about the impacts of HIV and preventative techniques to avoid contracting the virus.

Caritas Australia’s response

Caritas Australia and our partners support a number of HIV/AIDS projects in countries such as El Salvador, India, Myanmar/Burma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

• Caritas Australia partner CONTRASIDA was elected to a two-year term to represent all of El Salvador’s HIV/AIDS non-governmental organisations at the United Nations CONASIDA Council.
• Caritas Australia has conducted workshops to reduce the stigma of HIV/AIDS and help sufferers generate an income for thousands of people in India.
• Caritas Australia’s partner Hope Adelaide has conducted HIV/AIDS awareness meetings and community visits to over 42,000 people in Western Burma.
• 120 peer educators have been trained in HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness raising in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This project also supports the training of health care providers in voluntary confidential counselling and testing.
• Caritas Australia provides educational and social support for people living with HIV/AIDS in Cambodia.
• Caritas Australia conducted a course on the pastoral and ethical implications of HIV/AIDS for Bishops from Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Real life: helping in Cambodia

One of Caritas Australia’s long-term partners is the Maryknoll Society. Maryknoll has worked on the HIV epidemic for many years and their Bridges of Hope program is an example of successful support for People Living with HIV (PLHIV). Bridges of Hope offers counselling, livelihood training, business start-up grants and general advice to adults with HIV.

Los Mari comes from the Cham minority, a primarily Muslim group in Buddhist Cambodia. She contracted HIV from her first husband who died from AIDS several years ago, and has three children by her first husband. Her second husband is negative but wants her to have his child; she is now pregnant.

Because of her HIV status, Los Mari’s family has rejected her and for a while she lived on the streets. Bridges of Hope accepted her into the program, and Los Mari and her husband gained in self-esteem. As they both have skills as fisher folk, with assistance from Maryknoll they bought a small house boat which is both their livelihood and home.

Real life: helping in the Congo

Gracia, 13, lives with her grandmother and seven-year-old brother. Her mother left more than five years ago, and she Gracia has no news or recollection of her father as he left when they were very little.

Her grandmother is no longer able to provide for the family. So instead of going to school, Gracia provides for her family by selling charcoal (makala) in Goma.

One morning, Gracia was abducted by men in uniform who took her to the deep forest. They stole her money and raped her, one after the other. She lost consciousness for a long period of time and cannot recall how many men raped her. When she woke up, they were long gone. Some people nearby took her to her grandmother, who then took her to the hospital.

Gracia is now pregnant, and this had a big impact on her family who were depending on her. She is alone with no support and is badly traumatised, but has just started prenatal care at the Notre Dame Health Centre. Gracia is also being assisted by a Caritas Goma Counsellor who is working in collaboration with the justice and peace commission to see how they can take this matter further and find the perpetrators.

Unfortunately, Gracia is one of the many pre-teenagers who fall victim to these vicious crimes and are forced to take responsibility too early, depriving their childhood.