This World AIDS Day, Funders Must Stand with Black Women
FCAA in the news: Alliance Magazine.
There have been more than 40 elections around the world this year, ushering in new leadership with varying perspectives on the fight against HIV. During this uncertain time, so much feels out of our control. But, World AIDS Day 2024 offers an opportunity for HIV advocates and funders to look inward. What can we, in our own capacity, control? How might we shift our priorities to best support the populations we serve in the face of an uncertain future?
My belief is that progress starts with community, particularly those most impacted by HIV. Funders Concerned About AIDS’ (FCAA) most recent data spotlight further that HIV philanthropic funding amounted to roughly $2.70/year per woman living with HIV in 2022—despite women and girls accounting for 53% of people living with HIV. Without adequate funding to counter the systemic barriers women and girls face in accessing HIV prevention and treatment, we will not succeed in ending this epidemic.
That’s why I encourage HIV advocates and funders to focus their support on the communities most impacted by HIV. There are already so many efforts to support community-led initiatives to which we can look for inspiration; their impacts demonstrate the power of funding such projects.
As an example, I’ll point to the ViiV Healthcare- Initiative, Risk to Reasons.