HIV is one of the world’s biggest humanitarian crises. An estimated 34 million people globally are living with HIV, including 3.3 million children (UNAIDS 2012).
It is hard to grasp how many people this involves, but with whole communities being destroyed the situation is clearly critical. Some of the world’s most fragile economies are being broken by the spread of HIV, as it can dramatically affect people's ability to earn a living.
Extraordinary burdens are placed on extended families struggling to cope with personal loss, and the sheer scale of the illness places enormous strain on health systems.