SOUTH AFRICA —African NGO mothers2mothers (m2m) has launched an ambitious new strategy that aims to end AIDS and reduce preventable deaths by a third by 2026 for the communities they serve across 10 African nations.
According to UNAIDS, Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the country most affected by HIV/AIDS. UNAIDS reports that about 64% of people worldwide living with HIV come from Sub-Saharan Africa.
Moreover, women and girls, particularly aged 15 to 24, account for about 59% of all HIV infections in the region.
Since females are twice as likely to have HIV than males in underdeveloped countries, mother-to-child transmission rates are high, with about 80% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa living with HIV.
The NGO intends to reduce HIV transmission in the earmarked regions by training and employment of African women living with HIV as community health workers.
Since its creation in 2001, m2m has created jobs for nearly 12,000 women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa and has reached over 15 million people with critical health services and education.
These services are based on the nonprofit’s mentor mother model, a peer-based system where services are delivered by local women who have experienced HIV/AIDS themselves and are trained by the organization to serve as community healthcare workers.
In 2021, m2m reached over 1.6 million people across 10 African nations, including 402,616 adolescents (ages 10-19)—51% more than the year before.
They have delivered health outcomes for entire families, including virtually eliminating the transmission of HIV from mother-to-child among enrolled clients for eight consecutive years, and helping to keep over two million at-risk mothers and children alive.
The NGO also will expand to at least two other new African countries to commence its operations.
Over the next five years, m2m will leverage its proven peer-led model to double down on its original mission of ending HIV and achieve the UNAIDS triple elimination target for HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis B for enrolled clients.
At the same time, it will also endeavor to tackle life-threatening health issues that pose major risks for people living with HIV—all with the aim of building a fairer, healthier future.
The expanded health areas to be tackled by the organization will include tuberculosis, malaria, and non-communicable diseases (including cervical cancer)—many of which occur alongside HIV and in settings of marginalization and poverty.
By shifting power to communities, and training and employing women living with HIV as community health workers, the nonprofit delivers life-changing services to women, children, and adolescents to reduce HIV/AIDS.
Not only is this accepted as international best practice—the World Health Organization argues that universal health coverage “should be based on strong, people-centered primary health care.”
To increase and accelerate impact, m2m’s new strategy also includes a focus on supporting African governments to unlock the power of female community health workers through certification, employment, and career pathing.
As part of its strategy, m2m also advocates for greater recognition for community health workers as the key resource and vital link that they are.
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