International Groups Receive Grants of Over $1.1 Million to Address Critical Health Problems Affecting the World’s Most Vulnerable Communities
MENLO PARK, Calif. – In an effort to strengthen the linkages between HIV/AIDS and family planning and reproductive health programs, the Population Program at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has announced $1,175,000 in grants to several organizations working at the intersection of these two important areas of health care.
In the developing world, many HIV infections are sexually transmitted or associated with poor reproductive health. However, HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment programs have only recently begun to build on those linkages in order to reach more people and address the factors that make them more vulnerable to infection, such as lack of access to adequate health care and education and gender inequality.
In order to help reverse the tide of the AIDS pandemic and provide comprehensive services to those in need, the Foundation has awarded grants to four organizations working in this field: the International HIV/AIDS Alliance ($450,000), the Global AIDS Alliance ($150,000), the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS ($200,000), and the International Planned Parenthood Federation ($375,000).
The Hewlett Foundation’s Population Program makes grants to promote good family planning and reproductive health outcomes for people around the world, and especially in the poorest regions of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The Program seeks to improve access to family planning and reproductive health care and supports direct services, research, and policy development in this field.
“These grants support organizations that are tackling two of the world’s most pressing health problems – HIV/AIDS and a lack of quality reproductive health care,” said Sara Seims, Population Program Director at the Hewlett Foundation. “Addressing these related challenges will help improve the well being of people who are at greatest risk.”
“The International HIV/AIDS Alliance has supported over 2,000 communities in 40 countries to take action on HIV and AIDS,” said Alvaro Bermejo, Executive Director of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance. “This new funding from the Hewlett Foundation will allow the Alliance and the other grantees to take forward learning gained from existing programs that are integrating HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health services and policies to increase the impact of these programs on the ground, and allow individuals to realize their sexual and reproductive health rights. Integrating these two areas of work presents exciting new opportunities – both by creating new ways of reaching people affected by and vulnerable to HIV and AIDS, and by influencing national and international policy and financial environments to increase the integration of HIV/SRH responses to the pandemic.”
The four organizations receiving Foundation support will work on projects that help women gain greater access to HIV prevention and treatment programs, enable local communities to more effectively respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis, advocate for greater political and financial support from Western nations to reduce the incidence of AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, and develop a common agenda across organizations for linking HIV/AIDS and reproductive health care and policy.
About the Global AIDS Alliance
The mission of the Global AIDS Alliance, http://www.globalaidsalliance.org, is to slow, and ultimately stop, the global AIDS crisis, especially in poor countries hardest hit by the pandemic. The Alliance seeks to ensure that the United States contributes its fair share to worldwide efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, speed progress toward universal access to treatment, encourage the education of young people about the disease, and promote the integration of HIV/AIDS and reproductive health programs to help address the epidemic’s disproportionate impact on women.
About the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS
The International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS, http://www.icw.org, is the only international network of women living with HIV/AIDS. Established in 1992 by more than 50 HIV-positive women, the organization now has more than 5,000 members from 130 countries who work to focus the attention of the international community on ensuring more funding and political commitment to help women access treatment for HIV/AIDS and campaigning for the sexual and reproductive rights of HIV-positive women.
About the International HIV/AIDS Alliance
The International HIV/AIDS Alliance, http://www.aidsalliance.org, established in 1993, is Europe’s largest organization focused on HIV/AIDS and international development. It works through a network of organizations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe to mobilize and strengthen local communities to respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis. The Alliance provides technical and financial support to civil society and other organizations that support the communities most affected by HIV/AIDS.
About the International Planned Parenthood Federation
The International Planned Parenthood Federation, http://www.ippf.org, formed more than 50 years ago, has a global network of member associations in 148 countries, making it the largest NGO in the world that works on family planning and reproductive health. In 2004, International Planned Parenthood Federation facilities served approximately 36 million clients with reproductive health counseling and services. Integrating HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support into its family planning and reproductive health services is a key part of the Federation’s new strategic framework.
About The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, http://www.hewlett.org, has been making grants since 1966 to help solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. The Foundation concentrates its resources on activities in education, environment, global development, performing arts, philanthropy, population, and makes grants to support disadvantaged communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. A full list of all the Hewlett Foundation’s grants can be found at http://www.hewlett.org/grants.