HIV and AIDS doesn’t just kill people, it destroys hope.
When young people don't see a future, they take risks –
and the terrible cycle continues.

We have to break this cycle.
We can start by creating opportunities for young people to build their own futures and by providing accessible sex education.

Your Finest Hour fund will support sustainable community projects to help make this happen.

With about 95% of young people under 15 in Sub-Saharan Africa still HIV negative - as little as £4 will give hundreds
of young people the chance to stay that way and build a
brighter future for themselves.

Here’s some examples about how your money will be used:

£20 – pays for a peer educator to spend a month giving young people the facts about HIV and AIDS to save thousands of lives

£30 – pays for a month of life skills training for a young girl

£40 – pays for one month of university level education

Whilst there are unavoidable costs involved in keeping your online donation secure, we guarantee that they’ll amount to no more than 5% of total donations.

And remember, if you are a UK tax payer we can boost your own donation by as much as a further 28% by claiming Gift Aid - making your donation go even further.

Transparency & Feedback

With our "open book" policy, we promise your donation will make a difference exactly where it’s needed.

We’ll be providing feedback via this website - not only on where funds are being spent, but also what the results have been.

Sustainable, grassroots projects

There are some fantastic community projects that are managed by people involved in the fight on a local level, and they’re already making a difference. And with more support, they could make an even bigger difference.

They focus on 'the next generation' - providing education, developing life skills, working on job creation and sexual health education.

No one wants to be dependant on hand-outs, and we’re making sure we choose projects that will be able to support themselves, a must for both long term sustainability and personal self esteem.

Initially, we’ll be concentrating on the area that has been hit the hardest - Sub-Saharan Africa.

But as the fund grows, we’ll grow. We’ve plans for projects in India, China, Russia and other areas
that are being devastated by HIV and AIDS.

An example of a project that will be supported is called WOMEN ON THE MOVE and will take place in South Africa.

WOMEN ON THE MOVE

In South Africa, four out of five HIV infections among 15-24 year olds are in women. Low self-esteem and a sense of disempowerment is a major factor in high risk behaviour, and until addressed, HIV will continue to hit women hard. Enabling young women to become assertive, future-focused and equipped to meet their life goals is therefore a real priority.

By 2010, Women on the Move aims to see a new generation of South African women – motivated and assertive, able to participate fully and equally in social and economic life, and free of HIV.

The project is a joint venture between the following grassroots charities in South Africa: