UNAIDS: The First 10 Years

Chapter 8Worldwide, it wasestimated thatbetween 250 000and 350 000 deathshad been averted asa result of increasedtreatment accessCommunity-based organizations had been very involved in scaling up treatment. In BurkinaFaso, for example, organizations in the community have taken the lead in providing counsellingand testing, as well as nongovernmental organizations and faith-based organizations.A major issue, however, was the potential impact on poorly resourced health services ofproviding lifelong treatment for a chronic health condition. Importantly, countries demonstratedtheir commitment to ensuring that treatment programmes were not only started butwill also be sustainable over the long term. In poorer countries in sub-Saharan Africa, such asBurkina Faso and Senegal, countries increased their domestic budget allocations for AIDS.225Without the funding from three organizations – US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDSRelief (PEPFAR), the Global Fund and the World Bank – the number of people receivingtreatment by the end of 2005 would have been considerably reduced.By October 2005, PEPFAR was supporting antiretroviral therapy for about 471 000 peopleliving with HIV; approximately 60% are women and 7% are children 23 . More than 50 countriesand numerous foundations and corporations have contributed financially to the Global Fundwhich, by December 2005, was supporting programmes providing antiretroviral therapy to384,000 people, and the World Bank also launched a US$ 60 million Treatment AccelerationProject with initial grants for scaling up treatment access to Burkina Faso, Ghana andMozambique in 2004 and 2005.30-year old SierraLeonean woman receivingantiretrovirals in a hospitaldedicated to HIV patients,2001.Panos/ Chris de Bode23UNAIDS (2007). Global Report 2007. Geneva, UNAIDS.