Sixty percent of those who are infected with HIV and AIDS are Commonwealth citizens.
Many Commonwealth member states are struggling to manage or reduce infection rates and are buckling under the pressure of the pandemic. The Commonwealth Foundation is committed to bringing civil society voices to policy making so that their skills, knowledge and practice can be mobilised to tackle the array of issues across the Commonwealth.
The international community realises that countries can best tackle problems and achieve great progress in averting HIV epidemics when governments and civil society groups work together.
Oppression and exclusion are universal barriers to the delivery of effective prevention, treatment, and care. People living with HIV and AIDS in the Commonwealth experience ostracization, violence, eviction, loss of employment and restrictions on their ability to travel.
This stigma is killing people and spreading the infection. It is preventing them from coming forward and has driven the pandemic underground. In most Commonwealth countries homosexuality remains a criminal offence. This makes vulnerable people harder to reach and reluctant to come forward. And it makes communicating key messages on prevention and treatment much more difficult.
In order to address the HIV pandemic the Commonwealth Foundation has supported many groups through our grants work. Organisations are encouraged to apply for support which unlocks financial assistance from other sources and which helps use existing mechanisms to deliver ‘on the ground’ projects.
For example we recently awarded a grant to SHEED Society, a community based organisation that works to address social issues faced by sex workers in Lahore’s red-light district, to provide education on sexual health and sexually transmitted diseases using street theatre.
We recognise the fact that the pandemic permeates all aspects of Commonwealth lives – affecting each part of our world in different ways. The responses may be varied, but we share a common responsibility.
Read more: New Commonwealth and Alliance partnership.
