Bonn, Germany: In 1996, Kyrgyzstan was the last country in the world to be removed from the World Health Organization’s list of countries considered HIV free. Read

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is deeply engaged in the fight against HIV/AIDS through the use of people-centred approaches. It collaborates closely with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), volunteer involving organizations, networks of people living with HIV/AIDS and national AIDS programmes in affected countries. Read

Ditladi, Botswana: The small village of Ditladi in the North East District of Botswana is the kind of settlement where everybody knows everybody’s business. It is the first Tuesday of the month, and the village residents have been called to the kgotla – a traditional community gathering place in Botswana – to talk about HIV/AIDS. Read

Lusaka, Zambia: UN Volunteers working with Zambia’s National AIDS Council are now able to extend their services to the remotest parts of the country, thanks to 54 vehicles recently given by UNDP and the World Bank. Read

Ha Noi, Viet Nam: The Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) and the United Nations Country Team in Viet Nam today launched a major joint project to promote greater involvement of people living with HIV in HIV/AIDS programmes in the country. Ten United Nations Volunteers have been recruited for implementing the three-year project’s initial activities. Read

Hai Phong, Viet Nam: English study may be regarded as a luxury for people living with HIV/AIDS, but 35-year-old Kim Thi Hau says it has invigorated her struggle for a brighter future. Read

Georgetown, Guyana: The first group of United Nations Volunteer (UNV) doctors have arrived in the capital of Guyana to help strengthen the country’s response to its growing HIV/AIDS epidemic. Read

HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa and number four worldwide. However, countries such as Brazil, Senegal, Thailand and Uganda have shown that the spread of HIV/AIDS and other major diseases can be stemmed. Working primarily at local level with a range of development partners, the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme supports activities aimed at the successful promotion of public health care policy, strengthening institutional capacity for effective service delivery, fostering community participation and ownership, and raising awareness on critical health issues. Read

Bonn, Germany: Working with UNICEF in Mali, UN Volunteer Chouahibou Nchamoun of Cameroon is focused on reducing the country’s child mortality rate. Read

Bonn, Germany: Attending funerals was not in Tsholofelo Barei’s job description when she signed on as a United Nations Volunteer (UNV) in November 2004. Yet the 28-year-old Botswanan has developed an unconventional approach to grab people’s attention on HIV/AIDS. Read