Founded in 2004, The Coalition for Children Affected by AIDS is a fully independent international advocacy and learning group of senior thought-leaders from health, HIV, early childhood development, child protection and other sectors. Together, we advocate at the global level for the rights of children (0-17) left behind by the HIV and broader development response. This includes adolescent mothers and their children, the children of key populations and other children and caregivers facing social and structural exclusion. We are committed to enabling them and their caregivers to survive and thrive across the HIV targets and the SDGs.

Our Members are from across the UN, donor, NGO and academic communities. They are all highly influential within their own organisations, and sit on the board of strategic partners focusing on global health, development, human rights and other key issues. We draw on their gravitas, expertise and strategic connections, and our 19 years of experience working as a Coalition, to

• Convene and mobilise key decision-makers from a variety of sectors;

• Identify and share cutting-edge research on both problems and solutions

• Anticipate and mobilise around advocacy opportunities, speaking with one strong voice

• Develop strong shared policy positions based on systematic analysis of the evidence

You can read more about us here.

Members

Our Members are esteemed leaders in their own fields who have dedicated their careers to understanding and improving the lives of children affected by AIDS in every region of the world. Each has extensive technical knowledge, is influential at the global level, and is deeply committed. They have all joined the Coalition to strengthen our collective voice in calling for more to be done to enable children affected to realise their full potential.

Steering Committee Members

Independent Scientific Adviser Steering Committee Members

Ambassador Members

Coalition Secretariat

Fiscal Agent / Legal Trustee, PATA (Paediatric-Adolescent Treatment Africa)

             

Learning Associates

Other, non-member grant-making organizations and governments also contribute to our work. We thank those funders for their generosity and trust, and for supporting our vision.

             ELMA Philanthropies                                    The Robert Carr Fund  

                                   

Ambasadors

The Coalition recognizes that children and their parents and carers affected by HIV and AIDS have to lead the way to change. They are the experts of their own experiences and more must be done to involve them in decisions around funding, programming and policies.

There are many dynamic networks operating in every region of the world that contain remarkable champions who can speak from first hand experience about HIV and AIDS and their impact on children and families. The Coalition seeks to strengthen these voices by working with a select group of ambassadors representing networks working with children, families and caregivers affected by HIV and AIDS to:

  • Participate in global level fora, and
  • Mobilise their own networks to prepare for and follow up on opportunities resulting from global level engagement.

Duduzile Dlamini runs the Sisonke project, a movement of sex workers in South Africa, helping them to fight for their rights and entitlements. This project is part of SWEAT Mothers for the Future, South Africa. Dudu is an experienced global advocate of sex worker rights. She also led field research in South Africa that was used to develop the Coalition’s recent work with the global working group on the children of key populations. Her organisation has also taken up this issue in their programming.

Miriam, an adolescent mother who lives in Uganda with her three-year-old son. Among the many accomplishments she has achieved in her young life, she is a Mentor Mother with TEENS Uganda and a peer educator with Uganda Network of Young People Living with HIV/AIDS (UNYPA). Candidly sharing her own experience, Miriam is a passionate advocate for social change, working to empower fellow adolescent girls to make choices that will positively impact their lives.

Learn more about our Ambassadors.

History

In 2004, frustrated at the lack of attention paid to children at the International AIDS Conference, a group of global health leaders came together to drive increased focus on this extremely vulnerable population. This group was comprised of pioneers in the fight including:

One of the first undertakings of the Coalition was partnering with The Teresa Group to host a biennial Children and HIV Symposium to raise the profile of children in the days leading up to the International AIDS Conference.  Since then, we have undertaken a diverse range of activities.