HIV-positive pregnant women

The initiative will provide testing, drug treatment and additional health care services for
HIV-positive pregnant women and their newborn children. The infection of newborns
can be prevented using a low-cost regimen of drugs, however, the lack of treatment
programs for pregnant women has discouraged many women from seeking care. Of the
26 million pregnant women in sub-Saharan African in 2001, experts estimate that more
than 2.5 million are infected with HIV.
The pilot program is administered by the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia
University with grants going to organizations in Africa, Asia and Latin America already
working on HIV/AIDS prevention and care. Additionally, part of the money will go to
the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The first set of grants was distributed in
March 2002.
Due to the scope of the international pandemic, grantmakers may have concerns about
how to effectively and meaningful apply limited resources to HIV/AIDS related issues.
The MTCT-Plus AIDS Initiative serves as an example of the broader scope of services
that can be reached through collaborative efforts. Emphasis should be placed on
building “cause specific” partnerships between donors to keep up with the spread of
the epidemic, especially in developing countries. As evidenced by recent FCAA reports,
this significant international initiative shows the growing support within organized
philanthropy for global AIDS efforts.