HIV & AIDS in Irish Aid Programme Countries

Tackling the HIV and AIDS pandemic successfully depends on
well-managed and well-resourced national responses. Through its work in developing countries, Irish Aid aims to strengthen government capacity to respond to HIV and AIDS and to support the delivery of HIV services to communities both through government and NGOs.

Within Africa, Irish Aid currently has offices in Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Lesotho and South Africa. The Zambia office coordinates implementation of HIV activities in Zimbabwe and, in Ghana, Irish Aid works through UNICEF. All these countries are hugely affected by HIV and AIDS and are struggling to control the spread and impact of the pandemic on their already fragile economic and social base. Increasingly more people are being driven into extreme poverty and crisis as a result of HIV and AIDS.

Irish Aid funds and supports both the national HIV and AIDS and poverty reduction strategies of national Governments in its partner countries. In addition, it funds specific HIV programme intervention to provide HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services.

Specific interventions funded cover a range of programmes addressing local institutional capacity constraints; supporting the planning and delivery of essential HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services; supporting children affected by AIDS; upgrading health facilities and training for health workers in HIV drug administration and management. Irish Aid also focuses its support on addressing some of the broader issues to ensure HIV related rights are realised, that HIV related stigma and discrimination is reduced; and that protective legislation for people living with HIV is in place and implemented.

In recognition of the need for strong political commitment and leadership to drive nationally-led responses to HIV and AIDS, Irish Aid is engaging in developing national level HIV policies and strategies. This entails ensuring that HIV and AIDS is adequately addressed in both strategies to reduce poverty and other sectoral strategies (e.g. education, health, agriculture).

Over the last three years Irish Aid has significantly increased its funding and support at country level through partner governments and civil society organisations. This has been partly facilitated by the partnership with the Clinton Foundation, www.clintonfoundation.org. Ireland's engagement with the Clinton Foundation is targeted at Mozambique and Lesotho, and focuses on increasing access to HIV and AIDS treatment.