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HIV/AIDS Main PagePreventionCareTreatment

 
Overview:

In 2003, the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was launched in response to the global threat of HIV/AIDS and South Africa was named one of PEPFAR’s focus countries.  With 5.7 million of the 48.3 million citizens infected with HIV (11.8%), South Africa has the highest number of infected adults and children in the world, 17% of the global HIV epidemic.  South Africa receives more PEPFAR funding than any other country, and is responsible for a quarter of the global PEPFAR targets for treatment. 

With a 2009 budget of $551 million, PEPFAR is by far the largest U.S. Government (USG) funded assistance program in South Africa.  USAID manages 56 percent of PEPFAR’s 2009 funds, making the USAID HIV/AIDS budget almost $309 million. 

Core Elements:

The core elements of PEPFAR’s activities focus on prevention, treatment, and care. These activities are supported by a set of cross-cutting activities that emphasize overall health system strengthening and the enhancement and use of strategic information to foster program improvement.

Prevention

  • Abstinence and Be Faithful
  • Other Sexual Prevention
  • Prevention of Mother-to-Child-Transmission (PMTCT)
  • Blood and injection safety
  • Male Circumcision
  • Counseling and Testing (CT)

Treatment

  • Anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs
  • Adult Treatment
  • Pediatric Treatment

Care

  • Adult Care and Support
  • Pediatric Care and Support
  • Tuberculosis/HIV
  • Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC)

Other

  • Health System Strengthening
  • Strategic Information
  • Laboratory infrastructure
  • Management and Staffing

The PEPFAR program in South Africa works in collaboration with the South African government to provide HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care; increase capacity through training and technical assistance; ensure high quality of services provided; and strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems. 

Principles of the South African PEPFAR Program
  1. Partner with South African Government (SAG).
  2. Support the South African National Strategic Plan for HIV & AIDS and STI, 2007-2011 and other relevant South African policies.
  3. Reorient PEPFAR support (1) toward more comprehensive alignment with SAG policies, programs, and systems; and (2) toward (where appropriate) an emphasis to work with few international implementing partners in favor of indigenous organizations.
  4. Build on demonstrated success and make more strategic use of available evidence for new programming.
  5. Develop the capacity of SAG and other indigenous groups to manage strong health programs, emphasizing use of strategic information for evidence-based management.
  6. Plan for sustainability.
Partnerships

In FY 2010 the USG will develop a Partnership Framework with the South African government that will outline program priorities and objectives over the next five years. The Ambassador is leading the development of the framework; his counterpart is the Deputy President who also serves as the chair of the South African National AIDS Committee (SANAC). The PF will also outline financial commitments on the parts of the USG and the SAG.

USAID supports the SAG’s National HIV and AIDS and STI Strategic Plan for South Africa, 2007-2011. Both the U.S. and the SA Governments recognize the need for a strong relationship between the U.S. Government and the National Department of Health (NDOH) to maximize the impact of the PEPFAR program by promoting efficiency and sustainability. As a result of this coordination, a new PEPFAR Coordinator has been hired by the NDOH with PEPFAR funding; a Bilateral Strategic Coordination Group has been established through the NDOH; PEPFAR has met with the government departments in the nine provinces to discuss enhancing coordination and has undertaken a process to inform provinces about specific efforts throughout all the PEPFAR programs in each province. This provincial-level process will be used to solicit government input on unmet needs, program and geographic gaps, and duplication of effort that will allow revision of the program to promote efficiency.

PEPFAR not only partners with South Africa’s National Department of Health (NDOH), but also with the Department of Correctional Services, the Department of Defense, the Department of Social Development, the Department of Education, and Provincial Departments of Health. We believe that this multi-sector approach will continue to contribute to the success of the HIV/AIDS program.

PEPFAR is a U.S. commitment to the global fight against HIV/AIDS, and USAID is one of several U.S. agencies tasked with the implementation of the PEPFAR program. In South Africa, under the PEPFAR program, USAID works with several U.S. agencies including: the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Peace Corps, the Department of Defense, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institute of Health (NIH), and the Department of State. This coordination of efforts contributes to the success of the PEPFAR program.

The U.S. government is one of nearly 20 donors providing technical and financial assistance in support of South Africa’s HIV & AIDS and STI Strategic Plan for South Africa, 2007-2011. Major donors include the Global Fund, the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia, France, Sweden, and Germany. The USG, along with our partners, meet regularly with key Ministry officials to ensure that our assistance complements and supports the SAG’s plans for HIV.