How do charities address HIV/AIDS?

Charities aim to prevent new infections by encouraging safer sexual behavior while distributing needed tools (such as condoms) or providing medicine that prevents pregnant mothers from transmitting the virus to their newborn (either during pregnancy or while breastfeeding). Charities also provide care for those already infected by supplying drugs. (Unfortunately, these drugs don't cure the disease, though they slow its progression.)

Alternatively, some charities focus on peer groups or other educational interventions that they hope will eventually lead to fewer new infections.

The table below provides what we know about the most common programs charities run.

What are the challenges of finding a great HIV/AIDS charity?

Donors interested in supporting HIV/AIDS charities are fortunate in that there are many proven, effective methods for addressing the problem. There's strong evidence that condoms prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS; that appropriate medicine does prevent newborns from contracting HIV/AIDS from their mothers; and that drugs can treat and slow the progression of the disease (though not cure it).

But not every charity working on HIV/AIDS is having impact and doing so cost-effectively. For example:

• Many charities focus on HIV/AIDS education. We believe that trying to change behavior through education is often an uphill battle. Charities that aim to change the way people live their lives bear the burden of proof to show that they have succeeded in doing so.
• Programs vary widely in cost-effectiveness. We estimate that under certain conditions $150-$300 can prevent a mother from transmitting the virus to her newborn, and $500-$2,240 spent on condom distribution and prevention can result in one case of HIV averted.2 At the same time, it can cost that much just to treat the disease for a few years.3

Where should you donate to fight HIV/AIDS?

We recommend these charities, in the following order, for donors interested in using their donation to fight HIV/AIDS:

• Population Services International, whose largest program promotes and distributes condoms to prevent HIV/AIDS. For more, see our full review of PSI.
• Partners in Health, a group that provides comprehensive health care to individuals in the developing world by creating and managing hospitals, health centers, and a network of community health workers. In particular, PIH is well-known for bringing drugs to treat HIV/AIDS to some of the poorest parts of the world. For more, see our full review of PIH.
• Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria: an extremely large funder providing a broad variety of support to (largely) local government-run programs to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria throughout the developing world. For more, see our full review of GFATM.

1. 1.

   See our discussion of life expectancy in Sub-Saharan Africa for a table comparing rates of deaths in high income countries and Sub-Saharan Africa.

2. 2.

   See our full reports on prevention of mother-to-child transmission and condom distribution for more information.

3. 3.

   We estimate that it costs over $100 a year to treat a person with anti-retroviral drugs. See our full review of anti-retroviral therapy for more information.