Objective: To engage corporations in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Commitment: Through the Impact! HIV/AIDS campaign, World Vision and Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GBC) are working together to engage corporations in the fight against the pandemic in two critical areas.

Protecting Women from HIV/AIDS through Micro-enterprise Development (MED)

Empowering women with small business loans is a proven and effective way to fight HIV/AIDS. Income generated from a small business provides women with the freedom to avoid no-win choices such as the commercial sex trade. Micro-enterprise Development is a multigenerational investment, as profits from female entrepreneurs are used to feed, shelter, educate and provide health care for their children—and often an ever-growing population of AIDS orphans within their communities. MED provides a linkage between private and nonprofit sectors with a business approach to reducing global poverty while mitigating the effects of HIV/AIDS.

Community-Based Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC)

Today more than 15 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS—and 12.3 million live in sub-Saharan Africa. Millions more are vulnerable due to the effect of AIDS on their families. World Vision’s community-based care model, coined Community Care Coalitions, effectively addresses the needs of children within their own communities. Local volunteers are trained to provide child monitoring and protection, psychosocial support, HIV prevention, access to education, health care and nutrition, and care for chronically ill family members. This sustainable model of providing OVCs with proper nutrition, health care, and education is critical to assure children may fully engage in society and the global economy.

Background: The Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GBC) is the pre-eminent organization leading the business fight against HIV/AIDS. World Vision is privileged to join with GBC as its preferred partner for its 200 member corporations to implement programs on the ground and develop technical expertise on HIV/AIDS.

Partnership Opportunity: The PRISMA (Promoting Rural Integration and Security through Microfinance) project, as part of the impact! HIV/AIDS campaign, seeks $5 Million for the expansion and integration of its two programs to 1. Protect Women from HIV/AIDS through Micro-enterprise Development and 2. Community-Based Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children. World Vision will open funding opportunities to both public and private partners to secure additional loan capital for its Microfinance Institutions (MFI) in Africa.

Update:
December 2005:
Creation and development of World Vision’s Promoting Rural Integration and Security through Microfinance (PRISMA) proposal, which combines economic development with improved access to HIV/AIDS care, mitigation services, and education for very poor women in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.