International Fight Against Aids

International Charities in the Fight against AIDS

In terms of world health crises, one of the most critical and disturbing in the world today is the AIDS crisis. Many world charities are stepping up to provide prevention and treatment assistance throughout the world. The need for international charity assistance is perhaps highest in Africa, where rates of HIV and AIDS are truly horrifying. In 2007, some 33.2 million people worldwide were living with HIV or AIDS. Two and a half million people were infected with HIV and 2.1 million people died of AIDS in just one year.

AIDS funding throughout the world comes from a number of sources. Developed countries provide a great deal of that via loans and gifts. Much of this funding is distributed via the World Bank.  You may wish to make contributions to organizations that assist in funding World Bank efforts in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Many international charities do fund the World Bank alongside countries throughout the world. If you would like to give directly to the World Bank’s Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, you may do so at http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/.

You may also want to consider giving charity aid computer international easily with a site like http://www.justgive.org. Just Give allows you to make gifts to a wide variety of charities, and even set up gift registries for a wedding or other event if you would prefer friends and family give to those in need.


World Charities Assisting Children with AIDS

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) has been active in the international charity community for quite some time. Programs on an international level work to prevent mother-child transmission and provide health care for children infected with AIDS. More information can be found at http://www.pedaids.org.

Possibly the best known international charity for children is Save the Children. While Save the Children works to assist and improve the lives of children throughout the world, their efforts do include providing health care to children with HIV or AIDS in parts of the world particularly stricken by this illness. Donations to Save the Children can be made at http://www.savethechildren.org. You can also support Save the Children by buying international charity Christmas cards and other licensed products.

Another option among world charities is SOS Children’s Villages, which provides assistance and care for orphaned children throughout the world. There is a growing and worrisome problem alongside the African AIDS crisis, as many people die leaving their young children orphaned. SOS Children’s Villages helps the community to care for these children, providing needed food, medicine and care. Donations may be made and information may be found at http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/aids-africa/.

You may also want to consider giving to an international charity for children that works in an area particularly impacted by HIV and AIDS or an international Christian charity in one of those regions.

Preventing the Spread of HIV and AIDS

Many world charities work to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS. If you would like to donate to this cause, consider international charities like Avert, at http://www.avert.org.  Avert has projects throughout the world, including in South Africa and in India, which has a growing problem with AIDS. Another international charity that works worldwide in hands on AIDS prevention is Interact Worldwide at http://www.interactworldwide.org/. Interact Worldwide provides family planning, maternal health services, and healthcare for those with HIV and AIDS. Family planning services are a critical and often overlooked component of HIV prevention throughout the world.

While not specifically working on an international level, the Aids Research Alliance provides substantial funding for AIDS research, including treatments, vaccines and the hope of an eventual cure. This top ranked charity can be found online at http://www.aidsresearch.org/.  Another major research international charity in the fight against HIV and AIDS is the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR). Donations can be made to amfAR at http://www.amfAR.org. Among rankings of world charities, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative at http://www.iavi.org/ is near the top. Working diligently to develop a critical AIDS vaccine, this international charity has supported multiple research efforts and clinical trials.

The Fight against AIDS in the US

While AIDS is certainly an issue on a global level, many of the world charities that work to fight HIV and AIDS do so in the US as well. International charities that work toward research and vaccine development obviously do so for worldwide benefit. If you wish to assist those in the US battling HIV and AIDS, you can do so by donating to these organizations, or you may wish to make your donations more locally relevant. Many communities have foundations or organizations that provide day to day care for those dealing with AIDS or assist with prevention efforts in your community. You may also wish to consider making contributions to organizations that provide comprehensive sexual information and education to young people at risk of being infected with HIV.