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Organisations who are helping to prevent new HIV/AIDS infections, care for people living with HIV/AIDS and mitigate the impact of the epidemic are sharing in over £11.6 million from the Big Lottery Fund, announced today.

Six UK-based organisations have been awarded grants from BIG’s International Programme, which supports projects that help marginalised and impoverished overseas communities to improve their life chances.

Of the six grants, four are going to projects that will work with people living with HIV/AIDS.

Sir Clive Booth, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund, said: “HIV/AIDS remains a global health problem of extraordinary proportions but the organisations receiving awards today are making important inroads into alleviating the epidemic’s harmful effects on communities overseas. We’re pleased that these grants will help towards the prevention, treatment, care and support of people living with HIV/AIDS across the developing world, and bring some relief to those who are desperately in need.”

CARE International UK will use a grant of £4,999,969 for three projects operating across India, Nepal and Bangladesh, working with extremely hard to reach mobile populations who are more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Mobile populations include women and men who move in search of work, sex workers and transport workers. These mobile populations are vulnerable to HIV/AIDS because many of them are illiterate and lack basic information on HIV, and face problems such as denial, stigma and discrimination.

Geoffrey Dennis, Chief Executive of CARE International, said: “I am absolutely delighted that CARE International, one of the top international agencies, has been awarded this very important grant. This project will work with one of the most vulnerable groups and have a huge impact on preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS in the entire South Asian Region, representing around 20% of the world’s total population. One of the really important aspects of this project is to develop robust and credible data on HIV and mobility within the region, which will help governments and communities tackle HIV/AIDS in the future.”

Skillshare International has also secured a £3,686,952 share of today’s funding. The money will be used for six projects working to directly improve the livelihoods and health of over 80,000 individuals affected by HIV and AIDS across 5 countries in Southern Africa.  

Cliff Allum, CEO of Skillshare International, said: "We are extremely happy to learn that our strategic grant application to BIG has been successful. The portfolio will enable us, working together with our partner organisations in Southern Africa, to make a huge contribution to the fight against HIV and AIDS in the region, providing support to orphans and vulnerable children, improving access to care and treatment, and enabling positive approaches to preventing the disease."  

Other organisations working with communities affected by HIV/AIDS and receiving grants today include Interact Worldwide, who will use £2,725,966 to improve maternal and neonatal health and measures to tackle HIV/AIDS in areas of Sub Saharan Africa; and the Ethnic Health Foundation Limited who will use £202,933 to improve the sexual health of disadvantaged young people in the Akwa Ibom state of Nigeria.

A full list of awards follows:

Further Information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone: 0845 6021 659

Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Notes to Editors

• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out half the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
• BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since June 2004. The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £22 billion has now been raised and more than 300,500 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.