Results of Canada's Investments in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS

Results of Canada's Investments in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS

Canada's support to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care has had a life-saving impact on people around the world:

• Canada has been a strong supporter of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Canada has committed $978 million to the Global Fund since its inception in 2001, including the latest pledge of $450 million over three years (2008-2010). Of this total amount, approximately 61 percent goes toward HIV/AIDS programming. Between 2004 and 2009, the Global Fund has:
  
  
  • put more than 2.5 million people on life-saving antiretroviral treatment
  • provided 105 million HIV counselling and testing sessions
  • provided 4.5 million orphans with medical services, education, and community care
  • provided treatment to 790,000 HIV-positive pregnant women to prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child
  
  
• Since 2003, CIDA has provided approximately $7.6 million to the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre to support the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in targeted districts in Zimbabwe, with an additional $2.7 million committed until 2012. Under this project, during 2006-2009:
  
  
  • 51 health centres were upgraded
  • more than 700 nurses and health support staff were trained on HIV prevention
  • the proportion of pregnant women tested for HIV increased significantly
  
  As a result, in the two project districts, 85 percent of at-risk babies born in health centres received precautionary treatment.
  
  
• In South Africa, Canada provided $5 million to the Hospice Palliative Care Association (HPCA) of South Africa to enhance the provision of sustainable home-based palliative care to persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families. CIDA-funded hospices increased compliance with HPCA standards and 50 percent of these hospices achieved full accreditation, that is they achieved at least 80 percent compliance with all relevant service elements including:
  
  
  • management
  • holistic care
  • patient rights
  • access to care
  
  By March 2010 an average of 14,000 patients per month were cared for by CIDA-funded hospices. All hospices are involved in the provision of care to HIV-infected and -affected children; some 23 of the 50 CIDA-funded hospices have specific programs for children and adolescents.
  
  
• Canada assists the Support to Combat Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS (PALIH2) project in Haiti, which aims to reduce the spread of these conditions in Artibonite department. The project aims to improve the mechanisms of the department's health system, as well as the quality of services available to the general public and high-risk groups. These groups include:
  
  
  • women victims of violence
  • youth
  • sex-trade workers and their clients
  • persons living with HIV
  
  Among the results achieved in 2006-2009, 17 services were established for those populations most at risk:
  
  
  • four for sex trade workers and their clients
  • two for vulnerable youth
  • eight for women victims of violence
  • three for persons living with HIV
  
  Moreover, the use of these services is continually growing. The Center for International Cooperation in Health and Development (CCISD) and the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) jointly implement this project. CIDA's contribution totals $19 million over six years (2006-2012).
  
  
• CIDA is providing $1.2 million in support in 2009-2011 to the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO), a Toronto-based international organization that strengthens community response to HIV/AIDS by mobilizing community-based AIDS service organizations and representing non-governmental organizations globally. ICASO works to ensure that HIV/AIDS programs are effective, accountable, and accessible, and that they meet the prevention and treatment needs of those who are most vulnerable. Its activities include:
  
  
  • community-based research
  • strengthening community participation and leadership on AIDS policies and programming
  • and strengthening regional networks of non-governmental and community-based organisations providing HIV/AIDS services
  
  Their communication, consultation, coordination, and convening abilities have been employed through their work, for example, related to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (Global Fund), the monitoring of the implementation of the UN General Assembly's Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, and their leadership.