Malawi, a country in southern Africa, has a population of fourteen million people, one million of whom are infected with HIV. Malawi is ranked eighth in terms of highest global HIV prevalence. Of those who need antiretroviral treatment (ART), nearly forty percent (101,000 individuals) are receiving it, a rate much higher than many other African countries.
Funding for Programs
In order to improve prevention activities, treatment, and care, a number of international contributors send money to Malawi. This money is overseen by the National AIDS Commission (NAC), which was founded by the government in 2001. The Malawi NAC oversees many of the HIV prevention initiatives in country, including efforts to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
International donors make up a major portion of the HIV programming budget for Malawi. In 2009, Malawi is expected to receive more than $790 billion in aid specifically for HIV programs. This money comes from a number of sources, including non-profits, international organizations, and individual countries. The United States of America, the United Kingdom, Norway, Canada, and the European Union are some of the main funders of programs.
In the past year, the Malawi government has discussed having the individual districts in Malawi handle their own budgets for HIV programming, instead of the NAC. This is an effort to keep better track of where donor dollars are going, since some organizations have been unable to account for the money they were provided. The district budgets for HIV would be based on both the geographic and population size.
Major Funding Organizations
Between 2004 and 2008 Malawi received $35 billion in HIV funding from the World Bank. This money was mostly designated to assist in HIV prevention and education activities, as well as for targeting children affected by HIV. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria has also been a major donor for Malawi. The $228 billion they have given Malawi has been used to provide ART to patients in need. This money has allowed Malawi to provide treatment to citizens. Without this money, a larger percent of the infected population would have to go without treatment.
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is also a major contributor to HIV funding in Malawi. Though not one of PEPFAR’s fifteen focus countries, Malawi has received close to $15 million per year from this program. This money has been used to provide voluntary counseling and testing services, provide condoms, and fund prevention of mother-to-child transmission programs. Other major contributors to HIV programming include UNAIDS and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Resources:
Avert AIDS Charity. "HIV/AIDS in Malawi". 2008.
The World Bank. “Multi-Sectoral AIDS Project (MAP) Overview”. 2007.
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