CRS Addresses All Areas of HIV Programming

Catholic Relief Services initiated its first HIV project in 1989 in Masaka, Uganda. Today CRS supports 184 HIV programs in 35 countries, with a total expenditure of $106 million in 2012. In partnership with other faith-based and non-governmental organizations, CRS directly supports more than eight million people affected by the epidemic.

Treatment

Through AIDSRelief, CRS provided care and treatment for more than 700,000 people in ten countries, including nearly 400,000 who enrolled on ART. A key component of this program is building the capacity of local partners to manage treatment programs.

Josphat, who recently tested positive for HIV, receives care from Dr. Kasong Tshijing (left) at St. Theresa Mission hospital, an AIDS Relief-supported hospital in Zambia. Photo by Jake Lyell for CRS

Home-based care

Support for issues such as adherence to Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART) regimen, nutrition, palliative care and pain management, emotional support, assessment and referral, and social support, as well as training for family members to provide care. CRS has home-based care programs in 25 countries.

Orphans and Vulnerable Children

Currently, CRS supports more than 400,000 vulnerable children who are affected by HIV, mostly in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Prevention

CRS supports a wide variety of prevention programs and interventions, including treatment, prevention of mother-to-child-transmission, life skills training, behavior change, and HIV counseling and testing.