Sir Elton putting food first in the fight against HIV and AIDS

[Guest guest]

CARE congratulates Sir Elton for putting food first in the fight against

HIV and AIDS

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/217440/117681323381.htm

Today Sir Elton is joining with CARE and other leading international aid

agencies to put food at the forefront of the fight against HIV and AIDS in

India.

The Balasahyoga project aims to improve the quality of life of children infected

and affected by HIV and AIDS and their families in India's Andhra Pradesh state

by providing care, support and treatment services.

It will support 150,000 people affected by HIV and AIDS get better access to

food and nutrition, as well as a chance to build sustainable livelihoods.

The £500,000 contribution from the Elton AIDS Foundation is crucial to

ensuring the success of the new Indian food project.

Sir Elton said, " If we have learned anything from this epidemic over the past 20

years, it is that success is only possible with collaboration. I hope this

project will serve as a model for public/private partnership of HIV and AIDS

treatment and care in India. "

Geoffrey Dennis, Chief Executive of CARE UK agrees, and warns that it is almost

impossible to fight the HIV virus without effective nutrition. Malnourished

people have weaker immune systems and are much more susceptible to infection. To

stay strong children infected with HIV can need as much as twice the amount of

food that healthy children need.

" The fight against HIV cannot be won using drugs alone. Some anti-retroviral

therapies are only effective when taken on a full stomach, so drug treatments

must be run alongside programmes which ensure those affected have access to

reliable food supplies. The need for food might soon overtake the need for

anti-retroviral treatment in some areas of the world " , he added.

The HIV virus has reached epidemic levels in Andhra Pradesh. To fight it CARE

International, along with the Elton AIDS Foundation, Family Health

International (FHI), the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI) and the

Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and the National AIDS Control

Organisation (NACO) have joined forces.

Sir Elton commends NACO for its vision and leadership in inviting world class

partners such as CHAI, FHI and CARE to join them in Andhra Pradesh in delivering

a holistic package of services to those that so desperately need them.

" I am proud that my own Foundation can complement CIFF's funding of this project

by contributing the vital ingredient of sustainable food security " , he said.

ENDS

For more information please contact: Coutts-Buys 020 7934 9417 or email

coutts-buys@...

HIV and AIDS in India and Andhra Pradesh: India has an estimated 5.2 million

people living with HIV and AIDS. Nearly 40% of India's AIDS patients are women,

with heterosexual transmission being the single highest mode of transmission.

Very few HIV-infected pregnant women have access to reproductive health

services, including access to contraception to avert unintended pregnancies and

drugs for HIV treatment. According to the UNAIDS report 2004, about 120,000

children are estimated to be infected with HIV in India.

Andhra Pradesh is one of six states in India where HIV is a generalised

epidemic, containing one tenth (more than half a million) of the country's

HIV-infected population. Of those infected with HIV in Andhra Pradesh, 92% are

15-49 years old. People living with HIV and AIDS and their families are widely

dispersed among the general population, which is approximately 60% rural.

HIV-affected families suffer from discrimination and isolation in their own

communities and do not have adequate access to support and services that could

significantly improve their nutritional status and overall food security.

It is estimated that close to one million children less than 3 years old in

Andhra Pradesh are underweight, of whom 40.2 % are female. For children infected

and affected by HIV and AIDS, factors such as ill health, missed opportunities

for education, abuse and exploitation threaten their most fundamental rights,

keep them in poverty and make them more vulnerable to HIV infection.

The 'Balasahyoga' Programme in Andhra Pradesh: This programme aims to improve

the quality of life of children infected and affected by HIV and AIDS and their

families in Andhra Pradesh by providing comprehensive care, support and

treatment services in all the 23 districts of Andhra Pradesh.

The programme will leverage existing resources, co-ordinate with and/or

capitalise on the comparative advantages of other partner organisations,

government institutions, private sector and other networks to maximise coverage

and deliver the following to children infected and affected by HIV and AIDS:

psychosocial support; medical care; nutrition; educational support; economic

strengthening and legal support; and shelter and protection. Strengthening of

government heath care services and capacity building of development partners

will also be an integral part of the programme.

About the Elton Foundation: The Elton AIDS Foundation is one of the

largest international AIDS charities worldwide. Established in 1993 by Sir Elton

with offices in the UK (international grants) and US (North American

grants) it has provided funds totalling over $120 million to organisations in 55

countries. Funding covers a wide range of direct support for people living with

and affected by the virus, including medical treatment, shelter, education,

counselling and psychosocial care, and nutritional support.

About CARE: CARE is a leading humanitarian organisation fighting global poverty.

CARE works to prevent HIV and AIDS and to provide care, treatment and support to

vulnerable communities impacted by the disease in 38 countries in Asia, Africa,

Latin America and the Caribbean. CARE's work with 12 million people living with

HIV and AIDS around the world has shown that one of their biggest needs is a

secure source of good, nutritious food. CARE has worked in India since 1950.

[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of

Reuters.

________________

Dr. Anil Purohit

E-MAIL: <apurohit@...>