Through an HIV/AIDS information website, community projects and information and advocacy service, the HIV and AIDS charity AVERT provides education, treatment and care to avert the spread of AIDS.
back to top An education website www.avert.org
We provide an extensive range of information and education about HIV/AIDS and sexual health through our website www.avert.org.
AVERT.org is one of the most popular HIV/AIDS websites in the world. Meticulously researched, referenced and up-to-date, its content covers all aspects of HIV/AIDS and sexual health.
Our site takes information to over 30 million people a year worldwide. Those who access the site range from teenagers, students and academics, to journalists, health professionals and people living with HIV and AIDS. We cover all aspects of the epidemic. From special sections for young people to quizzes, games and a media gallery, we work to ensure that HIV/AIDS and sexual health information can be accessed by anyone, anonymously and quickly online.
Education is essential to our mission to avert HIV and AIDS. Thanks to the support of our donors and fundraisers, people can find out more about the AIDS epidemic. We hope that the factual knowledge contained within the site will also help to combat stigma and discrimination that can result from a misunderstanding about HIV.
We are committed to providing a resource which is free from judgement, is highly educational and not biased by connections to other companies such as pharmaceuticals. Our continued effort to take HIV and AIDS awareness to new and varied audiences depends on your support. Please take a look through our website to find out more!
“I am a seventeen year old girl and I've just spent the past 2 hours reading about sex and contraceptives from your site...Never have I encountered a website that explained everything I needed so clearly and gave me information that I needed. Thank you so much. I really can't convey how much I appreciate this knowledge.” - Reader of AVERT.org
back to top Community projects in sub-Saharan Africa
We support people living with or affected by HIV and AIDS who live in countries that are severely affected by the AIDS epidemic.
The AVERT Community Programme aims to provide HIV/AIDS services for communities that are in desperate need of HIV/AIDS treatment, education and care.
Currently, AVERT supports three AIDS projects based in South Africa and Malawi. Two of these projects provide direct HIV services and are led by members of the local community, so that AVERT can ensure they respond to the direct needs of community members. AVERT has helped these projects to establish and maintain services for a range of people who are dealing with the effects of AIDS, from children orphaned by AIDS to elderly carers of the sick and vulnerable.
In addition, AVERT also supports an innovative research project that aims to look at avenues for improving the standard of care for people living with HIV, currently focused on South Africa.
Through these projects, AVERT is working hard to ensure that HIV/AIDS education and research continues, and that hundreds of people in hard to reach communities are now able to access HIV/AIDS testing, support and care.
Sisonke, Eastern Cape, South Africa
The AVERT Sisonke project forms an essential part of the response to AIDS in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Sisonke is a Xhosa word for 'coming together' and this unique organisation brings together the needs and knowledge of local community groups who are working to help people affected by HIV and AIDS. The Sisonke team empowers community members to identify, develop and create services that enable them to manage the effects of AIDS on their lives.
AVERT works in partnership with the Department of Social Responsibility in the local diocese. Sisonke now supports a huge range of HIV/AIDS work in the area - from social groups for elderly carers, accredited training in home-based care, food and nutrition programs for children orphaned by AIDS, mentoring and legal support.
AVERT provides fundraising and expertise so that Sisonke can continue to grow and reach more people. By raising awareness about access and entitlement to treatment and care, the project is a life-line for thousands of people who benefit from its services.
Umunthu Project, Malawi
AVERT supports Umunthu's work around HIV/AIDS in the severely affected Blantyre District of Malawi - one of the first areas to begin HIV/AIDS city profiling1 Responses to HIV and AIDS in the area are often impeded by a lack of human resources, so AVERT's partnership has helped to build the capacity of Umunthu to deliver on-going services.
Umunthu's work in the local area has boosted HIV/AIDS prevention activities such as testing and education. AVERT has been able to assist Umunthu with expanding its offices, through the provision of funds to install clean running water facilities and an internet connection for the premises. Over 8,000 people have now received voluntary counselling and testing services and over 900 have accessed the prevention of mother to child transmission programme. AVERT supports Umunthu's staff so that they can maintain the fantastic work of these offices.
Education is also an essential part of prevention and AVERT has also helped to establish the project's first sexual health library for young people. Umunthu means 'humanity' in Chichewa - and thanks to fundraising donations, the education and testing services will reach even more people.
Home-based care research project
AVERT supports a three-year research project in South Africa that is looking at the quality of care that people living with HIV receive at home. The project is being implemented by the Rural AIDS and Development Action Research Programme (RADAR), affiliated to the University of Witwatersrand.
Community health workers that provide care to people living with HIV in their homes are an important part of health services in South Africa, especially as people on antiretroviral drugs need support to adhere to their treatment.
The project is investigating the quality of care that people are receiving by looking at how important home visits are to them and how often they receive them through carrying out in-depth interviews with various different stakeholders. The findings of the project are being shared with decision-makers in South Africa to influence and strengthen the role of home-based care in the country and relieve the burden on the formal health system.
To find out more about the work of these projects, please visit our AIDS project page.
back to top An information and advocacy service
AVERT provides specific information on HIV and AIDS and our knowledge is used to advocate for better responses to the AIDS epidemic.
Our Information and Advocacy Service provides free help, support and advice to people who need information on HIV/AIDS and sexual health. Our staff respond sensitively and personally to every request for information. We receive hundreds of enquiries a month from people living all over the world.
AVERT also campaigns for improved responses on specific HIV/AIDS issues, such as preventing children being born with HIV and universal access to treatment.
Our work has informed a wide range of people, from journalists, academics and health professionals to people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS themselves.
“I have been researching for a BBC documentary on AIDS in Africa and I just wanted to say thanks...you are doing a good job informing people about the issues.” - Andrew Bryson, BBC 4 Current Affairs
back to top HIV and AIDS media
You need to install Adobe Flash player to view AVERT's videos. Click on the logo below to install Flash player.
AVERT's Stop AIDS in Children Video
You need to install Adobe Flash player to view AVERT's videos. Click on the logo below to install Flash player.
How to play the AVERT AIDS challenge game
As the most popular HIV/AIDS website, AVERT also creates and stores a huge range of HIV and AIDS media. Our media gallery currently contains over 1,500 photos, videos and graphics which help present the issues surrounding sexual health and HIV/AIDS in accessible, visual ways.
Our dedicated AVERT technical and information team utilise HIV and AIDS knowledge to produce new videos and photos in-house, that illustrate key issues in the field of HIV and AIDS such as AIDS in South Africa during the World Cup, Universal Access to Treatment and Stop AIDS in Children. Our team have also developed several educational games about AIDS and sexual health.
Through providing HIV and AIDS media, AVERT.org is a tool that can combat the stigma and discrimination that results from the lack of educational resources on HIV/AIDS.
back to top Your donations will support AIDS work
We do something about AIDS - and you can too! Fundraise for us and your donations will help to support our HIV and AIDS work, changing lives and averting HIV and AIDS. Donating to AVERT is a way that you can increase our impact on HIV and AIDS across the world.
Take a look at our fundraising pages to find out more about how you can help us to make a difference to HIV and AIDS education, treatment and care.
If you have questions, queries or need further information on any aspect of AVERT's work, please do not hesitate to contact us
References back to top
- UN-Habitat (2003) 'Fighting HIV/AIDS in Blantyre, Malawi'