With an estimated 1.8 million people affected by HIV, the rate of infection is growing at an alarming pace and with half the population under 15, HIV and AIDS has had a devastating effect on the lives of children in Uganda.

Approximately 40,000 children were diagnosed with HIV in Uganda last year alone, with half of those infected through mother to child transmission. Approximately half of the estimated 2 million orphans are orphaned due to AIDS, with the total expected to rise to 3.5 million by 2010.

This problem is particularly compounded for the most disadvantaged boys and girls; those living and working on the streets, in slums and in remote rural areas. Not only are these children even more vulnerable to contracting HIV, they have the least access to vital prevention, care and protection services.

To learn more about the children we support in Uganda, please follow the link below.

THE PROJECT:Reducing the impact of HIV and AIDS on children