Children’s Investment Fund Foundation
Expanding access to HIV self-testing
Current pledge (2020-2022)
US$25 million
Partner since
2014
The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, the world's largest philanthropy focused on improving children's lives, pledged US$25 million for the Global Fund’s Sixth Replenishment covering 2020-2022.
The partnership is designed to increase funding for country programs that have ambitious HIV self-testing goals as well as put supportive policies in place for people to easily access self-tests. The foundation's initial commitment supports the scale up of HIV self-testing in Cameroon, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Tanzania, and Uganda.
The partnership combines the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation’s experience in innovative approaches and the Global Fund’s experience with scaled system change, significant scale of health system investment, and financing of national strategies.
“CIFF is championing HIV self-testing and other methods to promote self-care as one of the most powerful ways for youth, women and men to take control of their sexual & reproductive health. People deserve the choice to test when they want, where they want and how they want.”
Miles Kemplay, Executive Director for Adolescence, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation
Miles Kemplay, Executive Director for Adolescence, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation
“We applaud CIFF’s investment as there is an urgent need to engage people who would not normally test in traditional settings. Self-testing is innovative and seeks to break the cycle of HIV transmission, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “By accelerating access to HIV self-testing, we can get closer to controlling HIV as a public health threat. More people will know their status so that those with HIV can start treatment while those who are negative can access prevention services.”
Unitaid will leverage the overall investment with an additional US$15 million complementary investment in HIV grants. Over 2020-2022, the partnership which will lead to at least US$85 million of joint investments in HIV self-testing by the Global Fund, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and Unitaid.
In previous Replenishments the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation contributed more than US$10 million to support pediatric HIV treatment and expand access to treatment in Zimbabwe and Kenya.
The Pescadores Health Center in Zimbabwe provides HIV counseling and testing to patients on a walk-in basis, as well as ante- and post-natal services to the “pescadores” (meaning “fishermen”) community and surroundings. Photo: The Global Fund / John Rae