About > Children and the Global HIV/AIDS Crisis

The response to HIV/AIDS cannot be effective in the long-term if it does not respond squarely to the impact on children. Otherwise, we are allowing future cycles of vulnerability to this terrible epidemic to continue and grow.

— Peter Bell, JLICA Co-Chair

Overview of the Problem

Within every child lies the opportunity for a better world. Yet, HIV/AIDS has dramatically limited the lives and futures of tens of millions of children and adolescents and places millions more young people at risk.

This crisis also severely disrupts families, communities, schools, health services, livelihoods and economies. While the global response to HIV/AIDS has accelerated, too little is being done to protect and fulfil the rights of children impacted by the combined effects of AIDS and poverty.

Quick Facts

• The vast majority of the world's children live in areas heavily hit by HIV/AIDS.
• The United Nations estimates that half of all new HIV infections occur among young people ages 15 to 24.
• More than 13 million children around the world have lost one or both parents HIV/AIDS, and recent estimates suggest this number will nearly double to 25 million by 2010. , In some African countries hit particularly hard by this pandemic, more than one in six children under the age of 15 have lost their parents to this devastating illness.
• Each day, 1,400 children under the age of 15 die of an AIDS-related illness.
• In regions where HIV/AIDS has the greatest impact, families and communities bear both the overwhelming burden of care and up to 90 percent of the cost associated with AIDS-related illnesses.

Find more information on how the HIV/AIDS pandemic affects children.

We Can Do Better for Children

Current efforts to address the needs of young people affected by HIV/AIDS are often hindered by uncertainty about what policies and interventions work best, and poor coordination among institutions and groups working on young people's behalf. Policies and interventions rarely address the needs of children within the context of the families and communities in which they live.

The Joint Learning Initiative on Children and HIV/AIDS (JLICA) is working to increase global responses to the needs of children affected by HIV, their families and communities.

Learn more about the Initiative's mission and goals.