390,000 children die of AIDS every year

In 2001, global leaders made a promise to reduce the number of infants infected with HIV by 50% in 2010 but recent figures indicate that only 45% of pregnant women received the necessary medication to prevent this transmission.

HIV is transmitted from mother to infant through pregnancy, labour and breastfeeding but, with a course of medication for both mother and child, this can be prevented. One third of children born with HIV die before the age of one year and almost half will die by their second year.

Unfortunately many women and children do not have access to these lifesaving drugs. This is due to a number of factors, the main one being limited resources. While many women are able to attend antenatal care, a large portion of these will not be tested for HIV. Infants born to HIV positive mothers will rarely be tested for HIV