The Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) recently announced a $33 million commitment to accelerate progress in fighting HIV transmission in up to five priority countries, a donation made through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which aims to further strengthen this commitment with at least $1.5 for every $1 committed by CIFF.

Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund, pointed out:

While testing and treatment are essential tools in the fight against HIV, the ultimate goal is preventing transmission in the first place.

Goals for 2030

With the goal of reducing HIV infections by 90% by 2030, at least 10 million doses of PrEP are required in the countries hardest hit by the virus. This is a medicine that people at risk for HIV can take to prevent HIV infection. When taken as prescribed, PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99%.

“Through targeted deployment of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), we can dramatically cut the number of new HIV infections. We are extremely grateful to CIFF for their new commitment, and we are proud to continue working alongside them,” added Sands.

Investments

In 2019, CIFF and the Global Fund launched a $25 million investment to expand access to HIV self-testing in countries where millions live without knowing their HIV status.

“In five of Africa’s poorest countries, the distribution of self-tests has grown from a few thousand units in 2019 to over 3 million in 2021. This partnership combines CIFF’s experience in innovative approaches and the Global Fund’s experience in offering broad HIV program support, taking innovation and new products to scale, and supporting country leadership in the HIV response,” CIFF noted.

Total AIDS-related deaths have been reduced by 65% in countries where the Global Fund is active since 2002, a progress that was hampered again with the arrival of the pandemic in 2020.

CIFF's recent investment represents an increase of more than 30% compared to its previous commitment. The goal is to raise $18 billion to fund grants over the next three years to save nearly 20 million people by strengthening health and community systems.

“The Global Fund has a track record of deploying well-governed public-private partnerships within its country-led approach to scale proven innovations. Equal access to lifesaving products like PrEP is, tragically, not a given across the world. Catalytic investments at the right time, with organizations like the Global Fund, can change this, increasing the impact of philanthropic funds and saving millions of lives,” stated Chris Hohn, Founder of CIFF.