People suffering from HIV and AIDS in the developing world are being put at greater risk of death from the disease becuase of dwindling stocks of drugs and a decline in the amount of funding for treatment programmes. A report by The International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) looked in depth at the AIDS situations in countries like Malawi, Swaziland, Kenya and India, and found evidence of the effects of this lack of sufficient funding.

HIV and AIDS affects around 33 million people worldwide, and according to the U.N, around 9.5 million cannot get access to the treatment thay they need. A Global Fund for the treatment of AIDS, malaria and TB was set up in 2001 with the backing of the G8 nations and was pledged $10 billion a year to fight these diseases but in reality, since its creation the Fund has only received approximately $3 billion per year. This means that many of those people already suffering from AIDS are unable to access sufficient treatment, and that those who will be newly infected in the coming year will perhaps not be able to access treatment at all.

The Global Fund has stated that it will need $20 billion over the next three years in order to meet the health goals of the UN. Yet the financial crisis that has hit the major players of the G8 has meant that funding for AIDS has “flat-lined” – with AIDS already such a huge epidemic, any reductions in funding will mean that the medical and humanitarian issue becomes even more serious.

If you want to volunteer with orphaned children in Malawi affected by the AIDS epidemic, click here to find out more about our Malawi summer project.