Kenya’s COP19 is deeply imperfect. We also know it could have been much worse—and that $2.4 million funding increase for key population programs came thanks to advocacy and watchdogging. We will be closely tracking COP19 implementation and will raise the alarm if and when PEPFAR’s ill-advised funding cut negatively affects HIV positive people, writes Maureen Milanga from Health GAP.
Thakane is living with her only son in Welkom, South Africa. One day when she arrived at the clinic, she was told that her usual HIV medicines were out of stock. Instead she was given alternatives that were difficult to take and gave her many side effects. Watch her explain her story in this video.
Our message is simple: Fix the program, restore the planned funding surge, and intensify consultations with the South African government and HIV activists to identify the root causes behind people disengaging from care and fund meaningful responses to address these, write Anele Yawa and Lotti Rutter
The most important lesson of the COP 2019 planning process so far, is that nothing that has been accomplished so far can be taken for granted as a victory—we must continue to track these promises every step of the way—and hold PEPFAR, national governments, and the Global Fund accountable for their obligations to people living with HIV and their communities, writes Health GAP.
Shadreck lives in Mangochi, Malawi and each time he needs to pick up his HIV medicines or see a healthcare worker, he has to walk six hours in both directions from his home. Watch him explain his story in this video.
While some countries in East and Southern Africa are cautiously hopeful about achieving ‘epidemic control,’ the AIDS response in Mozambique is drastically off track. Strong activism led by people with HIV and marginalized communities heavily impacted by the epidemic is vital to turn this crisis around, writes Asia Russell from Health GAP.
Dolutegravir is a critically important antiretroviral medicine that is set to become the backbone of many countries HIV programmes. While the drug has recently made headlines because of a potential safety risk, most of what we know about the medicine indicates that it represents an important improvement over existing medicines, writes Maureen Milanga and Lotti Rutter from Health GAP.
An important new antiretroviral medicine will soon become available to people living with HIV in various Sub-Saharan African countries. Unfortunately, many women might be denied access to this new drug due to an inability of regulators and health departments to see potential risks associated with the drug in the proper context, write Maureen Milanga and Lotti Rutter from Health GAP.
Last month, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) finalized its Country Operational Plans (COPs) for 2018—with a formal signing ceremony on the plans that will direct U.S. funding for HIV in the next fiscal year, starting October 2018. Health GAP and other allies from around the world have been witnessing, interrogating, engaging, and pushing this process to ensure the 2018 COPs invest much more in the most urgent community-level HIV treatment and prevention priorities. Here is a round-up of some of the top takeaways and victories.
We made important progress in the COP18 meetings that was only possible because of years of investment in building a network of activists who trust each other, work closely together throughout the year, and are committed to building our collective power to deliver bold results for people living with HIV—driven by accountability and evidence, writes Health GAP.