Canada Fails to Keep HIV and AIDS Promises
This past June, Canada was one of the leading economies that attended the 33rd G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany. Bono and Bob Geldoff summarized our country's impact in simple terms: "Maybe Canada was at the table, but Canadians were not."

The summit failed to provide adequate funding and a clear plan to implement promises on HIV and AIDS funding made at the 2005 G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. The inaction of the eight leading nations virtually guarantees that more than five million people will go without HIV and AIDS treatment through 2010.

The lack of clear G8 timetables and deliverables is compounded by Canada's failure to meet Prime Minister Harper's election promise: increase foreign aid to 0.5 per cent GDP by 2010. In 2005, Canada's aid was 0.34 per cent. In 2006, it fell to 0.32 per cent. If this trend continues, millions of people already struggling with AIDS will have fewer resources to help strengthen their communities.

Canadians Take Action to Make a Difference
Unlike their government, Canadians have shown they want to lead the response to the AIDS pandemic. Since the International AIDS Conference in Toronto last summer, more than 10,000 Canadians have asked Prime Minister Harper through World Vision petitions and email campaigns to address the needs of children and communities affected by AIDS. This year, individual donations to AIDS programs through World Vision have hit an all-time high.

The Campaign Continues
Much more needs to be done to stem the tide of HIV that threatens millions of families in the developing world. Here are some ways World Vision and Canadians like you are striving to make a difference.

Visit our new Justice Activism Central , an action-oriented website where you can learn more about HIV and AIDS, engage others and send messages to the government.