Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - December 18, 2005
Suthentira Govender

Global Fund's money constitutes a third of the operating budget for loveLife, South Africa's national HIV prevention programme for youth.

It is understood that the board of the Global Fund decided to withdraw funding because of the South African government's perceived ôambivalentö position towards loveLife.

loveLife combines a media campaign with nationwide adolescent sexual-health services, and community and support programmes for youth.

Its programmes are implemented by a consortium of leading South African public-health organisations including the Health Systems Trust, Planned Parenthood Association of South Africa and the Reproductive Health Research Unit of the University of the Witwatersrand in coalition with more than 100 community-based non-governmental organisations across the country.

The Global Fund's refusal to continue funding loveLife means the organisation's advisory board will now have to make ôsome hard decisionsö. It is understood that loveLife's chief executive, David Harrison, is considering options with its funders.

Concerns of the Global Fund board regarding loveLife include its:

*Performance;

*Financial systems and management; and

*Governance.

According to documents seen by the Sunday Times, the board was concerned that loveLife's programmes showed ôno evidenceö on progress in slowing HIV/Aids.

The board also expressed concern that loveLife's costs could not be tracked on a ôdonor-by-donor basisö and that its expenditure was beyond its means.

It is believed that loveLife has had to borrow funds from other donors.

At its October executive committee meeting, the South African National Aids Council said loveLife's media campaign was expensive and its programme complicated. It found its messaging ôoffensiveö and accused the organisation of targeting a high-income market and of ignoring the poor.

loveLife could not be reached for comment.

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