Melissa Engle/MCC
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released a report that revealed AIDS to be the leading cause of death and disease for women and girls worldwide. According to an AP article, a WHO analyst stated that
Women enjoy a biological advantage because they tend to live six to eight years longer than men. But in many parts of the world they suffer serious disadvantages because of poverty, poorer access to health care and cultural norms that put a priority on the well-being of men.
Addressing the particular issues and vulnerabilities that women face – including gender based violence, economic disempowerment, lack of education, etc – is crucial in developing HIV/AIDS policies, budgets, programming, and performance monitoring and evaluation.
This is the third in a series of weekly blog posts leading up to World AIDS Day on December 1. Click here to learn more about MCC’s HIV/AIDS programming and here to learn more about HIV/AIDS policy.
