AIDSRelief Uganda Final Report

From 2004 to 2012, AIDSRelief Uganda provided HIV care and treatment to nearly 88,000 patients, including 45,000 who enrolled on lifesaving antiretroviral therapy (ART) at 23 treatment sites. Consortium members Catholic Relief Services, University of Maryland School of Medicine Institute of Human Virology, Futures Group, and Children’s AIDS Fund worked hand in hand with local partners to build the skills and systems needed to support high-quality care. A deep commitment to partnership underscored AIDSRelief’s relationships and capacity strengthening activities, which culminated in late 2011 when two local partners—the Uganda Episcopal Conference and the Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau—won new grants to receive PEPFAR funds directly and assume full responsibility for managing the program.

This report outlines key outcomes and lessons learned during the eight-year program. It also describes approaches and methods that contributed to the program’s success.

In the process, AIDSRelief has provided hope and has afforded longer and higher-quality lives to thousands of people affected by HIV, particularly the poor and those in rural areas. At the height of the program in 2009, about 15% of Ugandans on ART were receiving treatment through AIDSRelief-supported facilities. In the last nine years, rapid upscaling efforts have meant that ART has now become common and patients no longer have to travel long distances to access care and treatment.