Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), a Canadian organization, has greatly assisted in the fight against HIV/AIDs. By the year 2005, the organization had committed a lot of its funds in the fight against HIV/AIDS. For instance, from 2000 to 2005, the organization used more than $ 800 to fight HIV/AIDS worldwide. This organization is committed in preventing and controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS, a scourge that is associated with poverty (Marketware par.1).
In its effort to fight the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS globally, the organization uses various strategies to achieve its objectives. Such strategies include funding institutions that are involved in the development of HIV/AIDS vaccines. For instance, in 2005, the organization set aside $ 15 million to be used in developing an effective HIV/AIDS vaccine.
This comprised $ 12 million that was used to support the international AIDS initiative together with $ 3 million that was channeled towards the Global Health Research Initiative. This contribution enabled the Canadian researchers to work in collaboration with researchers from Africa.
The organization is also in record of donating $ 800 million. From this amount, $ 5 million was used to support women’s legal rights. The support provided also entailed initiating projects that legally empowered women. The increased feminization of the HIV/AIDS pandemic by the CIDA is after its realization of the imbalanced legal, economic and social status between men and women and especially in Asia and Africa.
In most Asian and African nations, women are denied the right of owning land among other properties. CIDA realized that such imbalances make women vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. In addition, their limitation to access resources makes them less effective in mitigating the consequences of the pandemic. For this reason, the initiative concentrated on projects that focused on enhancing women’s property rights (Marketware par. 3-6).
Other projects that were established were those tailored towards helping the affected and infected people. They included empowering such people economically to help them mitigate the consequences of the pandemic. The funds helped them to access the anti-retro viral drugs and proper nutrition.
Using these drugs as well as maintaining good nutrition habits boosted the immunity of the infected individuals greatly. Thus, the organization’s strategy of empowering these people was very beneficial. The introduction of these projects in 2004 managed to assist about 6,266 people in Mozambique and 7,721 in Caribbean, to get ARVs. Similarly, approximately 15,000 people in Tanzania received ARV s from CIDA funded projects.
In addition, CIDA conducts seminars that are designed to educate the public on ways of fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic. For instance, the organization has initiated projects such as the Global Village Project which is an integral part of the conference that offers delegates an opportunity to share their experiences and identify common grounds while at the same time celebrating their diversities (Marketware par. 7).
My choice for CIDA is because it is an organization that extensively addresses the issue of HIV/AIDS in all dimensions. The organization tries to fight the pandemic by supporting institutions that are involved in developing the AIDS vaccines. In addition, CIDA conducts seminars that give moral support to the affected and infected individuals.
It also initiates projects that empower the most vulnerable groups to assist them fight HIV/AIDS. In addition, these projects empower the infected people economically so that they are in a better position to get access to ARVs and proper nutrition.
Works Cited
Marketware. Canadian International Development Agency – CIDA. Web.