About the Born Free campaign

Almost every minute of every day, a baby is born with HIV, passed on by his or her mother during pregnancy, labour or upon delivery.

In 2007, almost 400 thousand babies came into the world destined to live a terribly shortened life with the virus.

For babies with HIV in the world’s poorer countries - where the vast majority are - being born with HIV is often tantamount to a death sentence. The harsh truth is that without treatment, half of all HIV-positive babies will not live long enough to see their second birthday; a third will be dead by their first.

This is why UNICEF is calling for action. There is a terrible injustice to some of the most vulnerable children, in our poorest countries, being denied a chance of life.

Born Free - for less than £1

The good news is however that we can prevent babies getting HIV from their mothers. In fact the drug that halves the chance of babies getting HIV from their mums costs just less than £1.

Together with our governments and communities we can and must do more.

UNICEF UK’s Born Free Campaign is part of UNICEF's Unite for Children, Unite Against AIDS global effort to bring about real and lasting change for children affected by HIV.

Watch The Gift

The Gift is a short film from UNICEF UK. It is a dramatisation of a new poem by Simon Armitage, narrated by actress Gwyneth Paltrow. Watch the film and support our Born Free from HIV campaign to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Watch the film online

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If you want to keep up to date with all our latest campaign news, including our Born Free campaign, please sign up to our monthly e-newsletter. You will receive information about all our campaigns and be alerted to actions you can take to help create a better world for children.

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