This year’s theme is a continuation of “Getting to Zero” which has been an ongoing theme and focus of UNAIDS since 2011. In the last week of November, UNAIDS released a new report showing that countries are getting on the “Fast-Track to end AIDS by 2030” as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. The report notes that by adapting to a changing global environment and maximizing innovations, countries are seeing greater efficiencies and better results in treatment and prevention of the disease.

The report highlights that at the end of 2014, 36.9 million people were living with HIV and as of June 2015, 15.8 million people living with HIV were accessing antiretroviral therapy, up from 13.6 million in June 2014. This is a significant increase compared to 7.5 million people in 2010 and 2.2 million people in 2005. At the end of 2014, UNAIDS estimated that new HIV infections had fallen by 35 percent since the peak in 2000 and AIDS-related deaths had fallen by 42 percent since the 2004 peak.

“Every five years we have more than doubled the number of people on life-saving treatment,” said Michel Sidibé, executive director of UNAIDS in a recent press release about the new report. “We need to do it just one more time to break the AIDS epidemic and keep it from rebounding.”

In the report, UNAIDS urged countries to ‘break the AIDS epidemic’ by doubling the number of people receiving HIV treatment within the next five years. The organization highlighted the life-changing benefits of antiretroviral therapy that helps people with HIV live longer, healthier lives and has contributed to an increase in the global number of people living with HIV.

Salesian Missions, the U.S development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, has a long-standing commitment to prevention education, testing and access to treatment for those living with HIV/AIDS.

In South Africa, youth living on the streets are often faced with severe poverty, lack of education, abandonment, abuse and exploitation. Many have also been affected by HIV/AIDS as the country has been the hardest hit by the epidemic. To address these issues, the Salesian-run Life Choices organization has been providing health education, leadership classes, life skills training and HIV/AIDS services that have impacted more than 138,000 youth since its inception in 2005. Originally started with the support of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) grant funding, Life Choices has been able to expand over the years with the support of donors and corporate sponsors.

Life Choices programs are offered in schools and students in grades 4 through 12 participate in educational workshops and activities designed specifically for each age group. The programs benefit youth by employing a multipronged approach to HIV/AIDS prevention. This approach not only offers health education on HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, but also offers life skills training, parent/teacher/community support, recreational activities, sports, youth camps, counseling and job placement services.

Life Choices’ Health4Life program provides one-on-one services to youth in schools and communities. It offers group talks around reproductive health, one-on-one psychosocial support and HIV counseling and testing sessions. The program also helps to connect youth who test positive to the medical services for ongoing support and antiretroviral therapy they need. The services aim to promote physical, mental and social well-being among youth with a special focus on HIV prevention and intervention.

“Access to healthcare and education as well as supportive services help youth improve their quality of life,” says Sofia Neves, managing director of the Life Choices program. It is important for young people to have access to the information and support that enables them to make healthy life choices in a supportive atmosphere with trusting adults they can turn to for information about prevention, testing and treatment options for those affected by HIV/AIDS.”

In Cambodia, the Don Bosco Children Fund provides services and support for AIDS orphans and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Phnom Penh, the capital and largest city of Cambodia and surrounding areas. More than 840 youth are receiving education and health services as a part of the fund’s Project HIV/AIDS. Through Project HIV/AIDS, the Don Bosco Children Fund aims to provide holistic and proactive programs on primary healthcare and education, improve children’s health and welfare with antiretroviral therapy and encourage public awareness and community involvement.

Salesian missionaries educate more than 1 million youth in more than 5,300 primary and secondary schools and nearly 1,000 vocational, technical and agricultural schools. To date, more than 3 million youth have participated in Salesian programs operated by more than 30,000 Salesian missionaries in more than 130 countries around the globe. Salesian programs provide poor youth and their families access to education, workforce development, humanitarian relief, youth clubs, health services, feeding programs and more.

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Sources:

Salesian Missions

UNAIDS – World AIDS Day 2015

2015 UNAID World AIDS Day Report 

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In 2005, in partnership with South Africa’s Departments of Health and Education, Life Choices was established to provide youth living in the southwestern port city of Cape Town with education, training and support around the issues of HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy, substance abuse, violence and unemployment. The organization’s programs are offered to youth in the communities of Athlone, Delft and Manenberg and are based on the belief that sustained and positive behavior change requires significant investment of time, one-on-one support and resources.

According to UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations program on HIV/AIDS, South Africa has been the country hardest hit by HIV/AIDS worldwide. There are 6.1 million people living with HIV in the country but the rate of new transmissions of the virus has slowed. UNAIDS data shows that new HIV infections have been reduced from 540,000 new infections in 2004 to 370,000 in 2012. That same year, according to South Africa’s National Department of Health, some 2.2 million people were accessing HIV treatment, making it the largest HIV treatment program in the world.

Life Choices programs are offered in schools and students in grades 4 through 12 participate in educational workshops and activities designed specifically for each age group. The programs benefit youth by employing a multipronged approach to HIV/AIDS prevention. This approach not only offers health education on HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, but also life skills training, parental/teacher/community support, recreational activities, sports, youth camps, counseling and job placement services.

For youth like Sinethemba who very early on in life joined a Cape Town gang, his life was a cycle of substance abuse, theft and violence. He was born to young and absent parents and abandoned by his extended family. He began drinking at the age of 13, was first arrested for robbery at 16 and was back on the streets within five months and this time with gang affiliation.

“I didn’t have any family to stop me,” says Sinethemba. “And the gang gave me a sense of belonging. It supported me financially and made me feel safer out on the streets. I felt powerful and respected and no longer a nobody.”

Thanks to a prison outreach program offered in parallel with the life-skills and vocational training programs provided by Life Choices, Sinethemba found his way out of despair and gained a renewed sense of belonging. Today, Sinethemba has become the role model he never had and aspires to be a leader and a good father one day. He is studying electrical engineering and theology and works directly with youth involved in substance abuse and gang activity.

“Salesian missionaries understand how important it is for youth to have the skills and knowledge to make healthy choices in life,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The training and education provided by the Life Choices programs help young people of all ages gain the skills needed to make positive changes while understanding the consequences of their actions.”

Poverty is extensive in South Africa with more than 45 percent of the population living below the poverty line, according to UNICEF. A significant percentage of the population struggles to survive on less than one dollar a day. The country is plagued by high crime rates and violence against women and girls and has been the hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS crisis in the world. There is an urgent need for education to help prevent the spread of the deadly virus and to help lift youth out of poverty.

Salesian missionaries have been working to restore hope in South Africa, particularly among poor youth. From empowering girls and young women to building schools and teaching trade skills, Salesian missionaries have a long history of affecting change in the country.

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Sources:

Salesian Missions – South Africa: From Gang Member to Role Model

Salesian Institute’s Youth Projects

UNICEF – South Africa

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According to UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations program on HIV/AIDS, there were more than 75,000 people living with HIV in Cambodia in 2013. Children under the age of 14 made up 5,200 of the HIV cases in the country. Through Project HIV/AIDS, the Don Bosco Children’s Fund aims to provide holistic and proactive programs on primary healthcare and education, improve children’s health and welfare with anti-retroviral therapy and encourage public awareness and community involvement.

“Access to healthcare and education as well as supportive services to help youth affected by HIV/AIDS is critical to improve quality of life,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “It is important for young people to acquire the coping skills that enable them to continue on with their lives, attend school and integrate with their peers.”

Youth attending the program have access to a Salesian-run health clinic as well as counseling services. In addition, those who have no family support live in an orphanage run by Salesian missionaries which provides for all their basic needs as well as grants access to education, recreational activities and life skills training to help prepare them for the future.

Started in 1992, the Don Bosco Children’s Fund provides a variety of services and supports to assist poor youth between the ages of six and 15 who are either unable to go to school or have had to drop out due to poverty. Through the fund’s programs, youth not only receive support to continue their education, they also receive a monthly assistance package consisting of goods and cash. Social workers ensure that youth make progress and remain in school and those with special aptitude are further supported and encouraged to pursue college coursework.

In a country where less than half of children finish primary school, more than 50,000 children have received the encouragement and support needed to complete an elementary education through the Don Bosco Children’s Fund since its inception.

The Fund also operates both a primary and secondary school in Battambang with a focus on making sure young girls have access to education. With even a basic education, girls are better equipped to face the often daily dangers of human trafficking, child prostitution and substance abuse. Today, more than 2,000 girls who live in poverty have access to basic education and continued vocational and technical training through the Don Bosco Children’s Fund bringing the possibilities of jobs and independence within reach. In addition, hundreds of students at four specialized schools for young women are opening new doors for themselves by developing secretarial, printing, electronics and sewing skills.

“Many parents in Cambodia did not have the same opportunities for education as their children do today so they do not see staying in school as a priority, particularly when many children have been forced to work to bring in extra money for the family,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Youth need the extra support to stay in school and get an education. The Salesian missionaries at the Don Bosco Children’s Fund provide that much needed support and stability to help youth achieve.”

Cambodia has a long history of violence that has resulted in a quarter of Cambodians living in poverty and surviving on less than $1 per day, according to the World Bank. About 80 percent of the country’s population resides in rural areas and has limited access to education, healthcare and other public services.

Today, close to a quarter of Cambodians over the age of 15 are illiterate. With very little access to education, poor youth find it especially challenging to break the cycle of poverty. To provide youth with greater opportunity, Salesian missionaries in the country operate 45 schools in poor, rural villages through a partnership between Salesian Missions and the Ministry of Education. In addition, Salesian missionaries operate seven vocational training centers that impart much needed job skills.

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Sources:

Don Bosco Children’s Fund

UNAIDS – Cambodia

World Bank – Cambodia 

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This year’s theme Getting to Zero focuses on the Millennium Development Goal to halt and begin to reverse the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2015. A new Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) report shows that unprecedented acceleration in the AIDS response is producing results for people. The report notes that there has been more than a 50 percent decrease in new HIV infections across 25 countries.

Women and children are the primary focus of this year’s Worlds AIDS Day. According to UNICEF, AIDS remains a leading cause of death among women of reproductive age globally and the main cause of child mortality in countries with high HIV prevalence. The good news is, according to the UNAIDS report, the area where the most progress is being made is in reducing new HIV infections in children. Half of the global reductions in new HIV infections in the last two years have been among newborn children.

The UNAIDS report also shows that antiretroviral therapy has emerged as a powerful force for saving lives. In the last 24 months, the number of people accessing treatment has increased by 63 percent globally. The report further noted that ending the pandemic was now “entirely feasible” and achieving an AIDS-free generation is possible.

Further noted in the UNAIDS report, worldwide some 34 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2011. Deaths from AIDS fell to 1.7 million in 2011, down from a peak of 2.3 million in 2005 and from 1.8 million in 2010.

“We must make information, testing and treatment available to all, so every man, woman and child can enjoy their fundamental right to the medical care and essential services that will end this devastating epidemic,” said Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General in a statement observing World AIDS Day.

The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program, launched by former President George W. Bush in 2003, has been a catalyst for advancing HIV treatment, particularly in Africa.

The Salesian Missions “Life Choices” program targets youth ages 10 to 19 with core messages of abstinence and be faithful to prevent HIV infection. The program also benefits youth by employing a multipronged approach to HIV/AIDS prevention. This approach not only offers youth health education on HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, but also offers life skills training, parental/teacher/community support, recreational activities, sports, youth camps, counseling, and job placement.

To mark World AIDS Day, the Salesian Missions Office of International Programs is highlighting some of the successful PEPFAR programs:

Ethiopia

Ethiopia is home to more than four million orphans, or 12 percent of all children.  More than half a million of these were orphaned as a result of AIDS, according to UNICEF. The Salesian Missions “CARING Orphans and Vulnerable Children” project helps to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. The program increases access to youth orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS, and provides holistic care, community reintegration, and support for 60,000 orphans, street youth and children who have been made vulnerable due to HIV/AIDS. To date, more than 13,000 orphans and vulnerable children have received services ranging from shelter and care, formal education, non-formal education and economic empowerment activities.

Kenya

In Kenya, peer education is an effective tool for reaching youth with key disease prevention messages. The Salesian Missions “Life Choices” program in Kenya focuses on abstinence and faithfulness. Gender is also an important component, and programs include a focus on sexual violence. The program extends to youth centers, schools, orphans and vulnerable children centers and in community/social outreach programs. More than 40,000 youth have learned about HIV/AIDS prevention through the program.

South Africa

South Africa is the country hardest hit by HIV/AIDS worldwide, according to UNICEF. The “Life Choices” program here is based in schools from grades 4-12. An important component is voluntary counseling and testing as an effective method of preventing new infections. In addition, the program offers one-on-one mentoring, career and guidance counseling, parental skills workshops and teacher sensitivity.

Tanzania

In Tanzania, the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is nearly nine percent. The virus has orphaned nearly a million children and forced others to assume household responsibilities beyond their years, according to UNICEF. To help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, students in 79 schools across Tanzania take part in the “Life Choices” program, as part of the U.S. PEPFAR program through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Of the 79 schools, 47 are primary, 23 are secondary and 9 are vocational training centers.

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Sources:

UN – World AIDS Day

UNICEF – In Zimbabwe, village health workers play an essential role in the primary healthcare system and the fight against HIV/AIDS

Salesian Missions – Our work

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