Global Communities Recognizes World AIDS Day 2012

World Aids Day, held on December 1st of each year, is an opportunity for the global community to come together and remember the countless lives impacted by this disease, and rededicate ourselves to the fight against it. Though great strides have been made in combating HIV and AIDS, much work remains to be done: both to support those affected by the disease and to find a cure.
Global Communities works to build the capacity of local governments, civil society groups and communities to increase availability of prevention, care, treatment and support for people living with HIV/AIDS and those affected by it. By institutionalizing the availability of these kinds of services, we reduce people’s vulnerability to the disease while also helping them to lead healthier, more productive lives.
This year’s World AIDS Day Theme is “Working Together for an AIDS-Free Generation”

RWANDA
The USAID Higa Ubeho program works with people living with HIV and AIDS, orphans and other vulnerable children to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS on their lives and works with local institutions to increase their access to education, psychosocial support, medicine and food.
The USAID Higa Ubeho program has helped Laurence, who is HIV positive and living in Muhanga, Rwanda. All her life she has struggled to care for herself and her family. However, in 2010 she joined an Internal Savings and Lending Group and started taking nutrition classes through the USAID Higa Ubeho program. With the loan she obtained through the ISLG and the skills she learned in her nutrition training, not only was she was able to make her farm a source of fresh, healthy vegetables for herself and her family, but she also began generating a sustainable income from the surplus of crops she grew. She now has access to treatment, health insurance, and electricity in her home. She is also sharing her training with the rest of her village, and they are replicating her methods. According to Laurance, who is 70, “I am no longer sick all the time, and though I have health insurance, I hardly ever have to go to hospital anymore. Not only am I not a burden to anyone, but I am supporting others by teaching them the importance of improved nutrition. I am proud that I’ve gained knowledge and skills that I can use the rest of my life.”
You can also read about the summer camps that helped over 700 youth in Rwanda, and learn more about our other programs there.

HONDURAS
Global Communities is the principal grant recipient of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Honduras. Through this program, we are enabling all sectors of society throughout the country to better combat and respond to needs created by HIV/AIDS. By working with civil society organizations and national institutions, we are working to ensure that the rate of HIV among the general population in Honduras continues to be less than 1%
Check out our work with LGBT youth at risk for HIV/AIDS in Honduras, as well as our other programs.
 

COLOMBIA
Global Communities is also the principal recipient of the Global Fund in Colombia. We are working to combat stigma, increase access to treatment and antiretroviral therapy, and improve the quality of life and survival of people living with HIV and AIDS.
Read more about our work in Colombia.