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COVID-19 quickly became the defining health crisis of our time. What we knew in March 2020 when COVID-19 made shockwaves across the globe, and which sadly has only been emphasized further with the passage of time, is that this is not just a health crisis.

COVID-19 is an unprecedented socio-economic crisis, stressing every one of the countries it touches. It is only exacerbating the already deep-rooted inequalities and health disparities across the globe, with the most vulnerable communities facing the greatest risk.

For people living with or at risk of HIV, the pandemic raised the barriers to health and wellness even further.

Kapansa is a part of the LGBTQ+ community and was able to continue getting care and support thanks to the Elton John AIDS Foundation's COVID-19 Emergency Fund.

What we did

In April 2020, the Elton John AIDS Foundation launched its COVID-19 Emergency Fund to:

  • protect the people we have always sought to serve through HIV care, treatment and prevention
  • mitigating the damage that COVID-19 can do, particularly to the global gains we are making for more than 37 million people already living with HIV

In August 2020, we launched a second stream of funding to provide further emergency support for people living with and affected by HIV during the COVID-19 pandemic, this time beyond existing Foundation grantees. The programme leveraged the strengths of Frontline AIDS and the Foundation partnership to ensure funding reached even more of those in the greatest need – including the LGBTQ+ community, Sex Workers, people living with HIV and people who use drugs.

In total, over 100 grants were distributed in over 30 countries.

Real Impact

Antoinette

Antoinette is HIV positive and works as a Peer Navigator at SisterLove, a grantee of our COVID-19 Emergency Fund. Restrictions from COVID-19 have not stopped Antionette from continuing her incredible work. She is providing online HIV counselling, supporting her peers step by step with home test kits and conducting online support groups for women living with HIV that focus on exercise, medication adherence, emotional support and creativity. Adjusting their model to a virtual environment was one of their biggest challenges but one they saw as a positive in helping SisterLove move forward and stay ahead. The work SisterLove has done in response to the pandemic ensures that their clients are able to access resources, stay engaged and continue to feel part of the community through times of isolation.

Dmitry and Nadezhda

Dmitry and Nadezhda both work for Humanitarian Project who is improving HIV prevention, care, and support programs for people most heavily impacted by HIV in the Novosibirsk region of Russia. They’ve developed a model to ensure those who come to them for help can continue to test for HIV in the safety of their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, they’re preparing home test kits for delivery. When a client receives the package, Humanitarian Project’s experienced team will contact them to conduct the test and offer a full consultation.

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