NERCHA AWARDS E5.6 MILLION TO 7 ORGANISATIONS TO STRENGTHEN HIV PREVENTION

By EPN Reporter

MBABANE – The National Emergency Response Council on HIV and AIDS (NERCHA) has awarded catalytic funding amounting to E5.6 million to seven organizations as part of intensified efforts to sustain and strengthen HIV prevention programmes in Eswatini amidst funding challenges.

Each organization has received up to E800,000 to implement innovative, high-impact HIV prevention interventions targeting vulnerable and priority populations across the country. The strategic funding intervention in HIV prevention comes at a critical time following reductions in external donor support, including recent funding cuts by the United States Government announced in early 2025 that have created significant gaps in HIV prevention programming in Eswatini.

Speaking during the orientation of the beneficiaries of the small grants, NERCHA National Executive Director Dr. Nondumiso Ncube said the catalytic funding demonstrates the organization’s commitment to ensuring that gains made in the national HIV response are protected and accelerated despite the evolving funding landscape.

“What NERCHA is doing through the catalytic funding is to strengthen HIV prevention in the country. We saw the gaps, particularly in prevention because as far as treatment is concerned the country is stable, so we are trying to close the gaps that are as a result of the funding cuts,” the NED said.

The NED said in considering the applications of the successful organizations, NERCHA looked at their target population groups, which areas they will cover geographically because the organisation wants the services to be available in all 59 Tinkhundla in the country amongst other things. The NED emphasized that they want all Emaswati to be covered in terms of HIV prevention because there mustn’t be anyone who still gets HIV as prevention is better than cure.

“Each organization will get up to E800 000 and it is for a year but every quarter the organizations will be expected to submit progress reports to see if the deliverables that were promised are being achieved”, said Dr. Ncube when explaining how the money will be disbursed to the organization.

Most of the activities that will be undertaken by the organizations will focus on expanding access to innovative HIV prevention tool such as PrEP, address structural barriers and strengthen community support, condom distribution, linkages to voluntary medical male circumcision and strengthen HIV testing services amongst other things. The activities will be implemented in a total of 31 Tinkhundla in all four regions of the country.