The sixth Millennium Development Goal (MDG6) aims to “combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases”. Its target is to have halted and begun to reverse the spread of these major diseases by 2015.

Habitat for Humanity Ireland has taken an active role in trying to reach this goal through our Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) programme. Our OVC programme aims to strengthen HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support, and protect and provide shelter for children orphaned and made vulnerable by the disease. Our OVC programme operates across Sub-Saharan Africa including countries such as Zambia, where an estimated 980,000 people are suffering from HIV/AIDS, and Mozambique, where 1.6 million children are left orphaned by the disease.

In addition to its work with communities affected by HIV/AIDS, Habitat is helping to tackle the spread of malaria by distributing insecticide treated nets and screens. The very provision of a house with proper windows and doors helps prevent malaria by keeping mosquitoes out.

Furthermore, all Habitat homes are built with access to a clean water supply and proper sanitation facilities which help stop the spread of diarrheal infections and diseases such as cholera. As mentioned in our blog post on MDG4, approximately two million children under the age of five die each year because of poor sanitation and unsafe drinking water.