ACET Slovakia, working with other European Christian agencies and supported by an EU grant, hosted a conference for young people from Europe and Africa in November.  Hundreds of delegates met in Bratislava to learn more about HIV and AIDS and to lobby the European Union to keep the promises it made on HIV prevention and care.  To see video highlights of the event, with commentary in several languages, click here

Congo leads the way in church mobilisation

Recent reports from our teams in the Democratic Republic of Congo show the church is increasingly taking the lead in many areas of HIV prevention and care.  ACET trained church educators reached over 50,000 young people in the last six months in schools and Sunday Schools.  Meanwhile, voluntary counselling and testing centres, held on church premises and supported by volunteer counsellors drawn from local congregations, have seen more and more local people who want to learn their HIV status.  This growing army of church based volunteers will allow ACET to educate and care for many more people in the years to come. 

It costs approximately £20 to train an ACET volunteer educator or counsellor and, should you wish to support this work, you can donate on line by clicking here.

World AIDS Day around ACET

December 1st marked World AIDS Day, and ACET teams around the world used the opportunity to raise the profile of HIV and AIDS.  ACET Nireekshana India held a party for some of the vulnerable children they support in a local hotel, generously supported by hotel staff and other local businesses.  Meanwhile ACET UK staff, patrons and trustees spoke on local and national radio on the pandemic and the work of ACET.   You can hear the interview given on BBC Radio York by Margaret Sentamu, wife of the Archbishop of York and new ACET patron, by clicking here.  

Latest figures from UNAIDS show prevention education is working

UNAIDS, the United Nations body that focuses on HIV and AIDS, recently published its latest annual review of the state of the pandemic around the world.  New infection rates are falling in many countries, with effective prevention education, such as that offered by ACET teams, being cited as one of the major contributing factors.  However, the overall figures still make alarming reading, with an estimated 33 million people infected with HIV, including over 2 million children.  To download a copy of the report visit the UNAIDS web site 

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Thank you for your interest and support.

Peter Fabian

Chief Executive