WOMEN & CHILDREN

The Problem

Women make up almost half of all HIV infections worldwide. They are acutely vulnerable because so often they have no power over choices that affect their lives, for example:

• Women make up two thirds of the 800 million illiterate adults, therefore missing out on vital HIV/AIDS information
• Women produce half the world’s food and yet only own 2% of the land on which it is grown so have little financial independence
• Over 70% of the poorest one billion people in the world are women. 

Poverty leads to sexual exploitation of women and within marriage women are also vulnerable, as domestic violence accounts for more deaths and disabilities amongst women than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents or war and this is particularly true of HIV positive women.
 

"Young women (15-24) in sub-Saharan Africa are between 2 and 6 times as likely to be HIV-positive than men of a similar age."
UNAIDS Global Epidemic Report 2006

Children are equally vulnerable:

• Globally, around 20% of girls and 10% of boys under 18 years are sexually abused.
• One billion children live in poverty
• 125 million children are not able to attend school. 

When women are infected with HIV, this brings risk to their unborn children as the virus can be passed in the womb, during childbirth or through breastfeeding.  Infants whose mothers die of AIDS are four times more likely to die before their second birthday.
 

"Every minute of every day, a child under the age of 15 becomes infected with HIV."
UNAIDS 2007

Our Response

EJAF supports a broad range of programmes to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on women and children, from practical help with food supplies, infant feeding, income, and housework to psychosocial support in managing a life threatening illness, the difficult process of disclosure of HIV status between parents and children, and peer support and advocacy. 

EJAF is prioritising integration between sexual reproductive health (SRH) and HIV services, particularly for young women; increasing our support of medical care that prevents transmission of the HIV virus from mother to unborn child, and provides HIV positive women with legal support, a way of earning a living, and the information and tools to protect themselves.  

EJAF has supported access to nutrition, education, general healthcare and a safe loving family home for over 210,000 children either infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.  We have enabled over 60,000 orphaned and vulnerable children to access school and have funded programmes that provide AIDS and sex education to boys and girls in schools in South Africa, Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, Mexico, Tanzania and Uganda. 
    

For more information on some of our current programmes on this theme, please click on one of the projects featured above.
 

To learn more about which countries feature this theme as a current funding priority for us please see our country and grant strategy pages.