Enhanced VolunteerHearts Everywhere Reaching Out for Children, Inc.
According to the CDC, youth aged 13-24 accounted for 20% of all new HIV diagnoses in the United States in 2020, despite representing only 7% of the US population (HIV Surveillance Report 2020 (cdc.gov)). Georgia ranks sixth in the nation in reported pediatric and adolescent AIDS cases and has the fifth highest number of adult AIDS cases in the country (www.cdc.gov). Children and adolescents living with HIV/AIDS suffer from the many negative effects of the disease, including depression, low self-esteem, anger management issues, low academic performance, and mental illness. Furthermore, children living with and affected by HIV/AIDS are often victims of discrimination, alienation, forced to cope with the end of life issues at an early age, and have to deal with the trauma of watching a loved one die.