On Monday 1st December 2004, the world marked World AIDS Day. The theme for this year's campaign, which was selected by the United Nations was, "Women, Girls HIV and AIDS".

Globally, young women and girls are more susceptible to HIV than men and boys, with studies showing they can be 2.5 times more likely to be HIV-infected than their male counterparts. According to UNAIDS report released in February 2004, 55 percent of adults infected are women. Their vulnerability is primarily due to inadequate knowledge about HIV/AIDS, insufficient access to HIV prevention services, inability to negotiate safer sex, and a lack of female-controlled HIV prevention methods. The statistics are startling, that is why the African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) has since it's inception given grants for women's reproductive health and HIV/AIDS.

This year, the AWDF will once again award grants to women's organisations to support their efforts in combating HIV/AIDS on the continent. The following 19 women's organisations will receive grants to the tune of USD$15000.

· Soeurs Unies a L'oeuvre - Benin
· Association Femme et Vie (AFV) - Benin
· Association Vive le Paysan Nouveau - Benin
· Busia Women AIDS Support Organisation - Kenya
· Disabled Women's Network and Resource Organisation - Uganda
· Dzinpa and Adom Oil Processing Group - Ghana
· HIV Empowered and Living Project (Heal Project) - Zambia
· Jekesa Pfungwa/Vulingqondo (JP/V) - Zimbabwe
· Society for Women and AIDS in Africa- Nigeria (SWAAN) - Nigeria
· The International Centre for Reproeuctive Health and Sexual Rights - Nigeria
· FIDA - Uganda - Uganda
· Women's Resource Centre - Swaziland
· Nana Yaa Memorial Trust for Good Quality Maternity Service - Ghana
· Association de Lutte contre les Violences Faites aux Femmes -Cameroon
· Cooperative de Development Redonner Espoir aud Paysans Popuplations - Togo
· Femme dans le Mone Social - Congo
· Women's Promotion and Assistance Association (WOPA) - Cameroon
· Protection Enfants SIDA (PES) - Congo
· Association des Femmes Africaines pour la Recherche et le Developpment (AFARD - Togo) - Togo

In 2003, the AWDF awarded USD $13, 000 to 19 organisations to organise activities for World AIDS Day. The AWDF is the first autonomous Africa-wide fundraising and grant-making organisation set up to provide grants to African women's organisations. The vision of the AWDF is for African women to live in a world in which there is social justice, equality and respect for women's human rights. The mission is to mobilize financial resources to support local, national and regional initiatives led by women, leading to the achievement of this vision. AWDF currently supports 185 African women's organisations in 32 countries with grants and capacity building.

For further enquires, please contact: Ms Vera Doku, Communications Officer, the African Women's Development Fund. Tel: 021 - 780476/7 Fax: 021- 782502.