U.K. Gives $38.4M to UNICEF Program Aimed at Children Affected by HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe
UNICEF on Wednesday announced that it has received a $38.4 million donation from the United Kingdom to support a program aimed at improving the health and educational conditions for children in Zimbabwe, where one child dies of AIDS-related causes every 20 minutes, London's Telegraph reports (Thornycroft, Telegraph, 4/13). The donation will be used over the next four years to increase school enrollment among children affected by HIV/AIDS. It also will go toward family and community support programs under Zimbabwe's National Plan of Action for orphans and vulnerable children. A child is orphaned by HIV/AIDS every 20 minutes, three children become HIV-positive every hour, and one out of every eight children dies before age five, according to UNICEF figures. According to UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman, nearly one out of every three children in Zimbabwe -- or 1.6 million children -- has lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS. Many Zimbabweans still provide care and support for vulnerable children despite the country's economic situation, according to UNICEF. For example, more than 90% of AIDS orphans are taken into extended families, London's Guardian reports (Shaw, Guardian, 4/13).
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