Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) - December 21, 2005
Reesha Chibba
The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria accounted for 30% of loveLife's annual budget. It agreed to fund loveLife with a five-year, $68-million grant in May 2002, but the first money was not received until last year.
Grace Matlhape, loveLife's deputy CEO, told the Mail & Guardian Online on Wednesday that she did not think the fund would withdraw its funding.
"It wasn't something that was expected at all," she said.
She added that loveLife's HIV-prevention campaigns will suffer because of the fund's decision.
"Think about all the people in rural communities where HIV-prevention messages have to be reached. Losing this amount of funding limits our ability to respond to these initiatives," said Matlhape.
The Global Fund withdrawal directly affects loveLife's adolescent-friendly clinic initiative.
"This initiative is one that we have in partnership with the Department of Health. It's that component of loveLife that we will have to revisit and see how we proceed," said Matlhape
However, Matlhape said, the funding withdrawal will not hinder loveLife's goals in any way.
"The loveLife campaign will continue to function. The Global Fund was certainly one of the major funders [but] we are absolutely certain that loveLife will continue to do the best it can," she said.
In a press release from loveLife on Wednesday, it stated: "loveLife is dismayed and disappointed by the decision of the Global Fund board not to provide further funding to loveLife, despite the recommendation for continued funding to loveLife by the Global Fund's own independent expert technical-review panel.
"This decision comes at a point when there is increasing evidence of a slowing in infection rates among youth."
A technical-review panel appointed by the Global Fund board reviewed a revised proposal from loveLife in October after weaknesses were identified in the first phase of the grant. It was recommended that the Global Fund board should fund the revised proposal.
"This reversal by the Global Fund is a significant blow to HIV prevention in South Africa overall and to loveLife. But loveLife will refocus its efforts and continue with those elements of its programme which have been shown to be most effective," stated the release.
Charity Bhengu, a spokesperson from the Department of Health, commented on behalf of the South African National Aids Council (Sanac) on Wednesday, and told the M&G Online: "It is unfortunate that the Global Fund has decided not to fund [loveLife]. At Sanac we will look at the reasons why the Global Fund has decided not to fund loveLife."
The Department of Health forms part of Sanac, which is supported by organisations such as the Treatment Action Campaign to help combat HIV/Aids in South Africa. It was formed in 2000 under former deputy president Jacob Zuma.
During the past 18 months and through the first phase of the five-year grant from the Global Fund, loveLife and the Department of Health were able to improve and implement comprehensive packages of youth-friendly services in government clinics in South Africa, rising from 60 to a current 260 clinics.
In clinics participating in the programme for more than a year, an increase in clinic attendance rose by almost 100%, bringing in more than 200 000 young people.
loveLife said in its statement: "This substantial expansion of clinic services and support programmes for young people has been made possible through the first phase of the Global Fund's grant amounting to $12-million.
"The second phase of the grant to loveLife would have been worth $65-million over three years and would have funded expansion of youth-friendly services in government clinics from the current level to 700 clinics, as well as countrywide outreach and support programmes reaching in excess of one million young people."
The Global Fund was not available for comment on Wednesday.
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