The Need 

The Dual Challenges of HIV and Poverty

South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world, with 7.8 million people living with HIV in 2022. This represents 12.7% of the population. For adults ages 15-49, the HIV prevalence rate is 19%.  26% of women attending antenatal clinics are positive for HIV, and in 2017, 25% of all deaths in South Africa were attributable to AIDS.

Although great progress has been made in diagnosis, care and treatment of HIV, it remains an enormous public health challenge, particularly in communities plagued by extreme poverty, where access to quality health care is limited and stigma still surrounds HIV. In fact, in the Gauteng Province, where Johannesburg is, only 60% of individuals diagnosed with HIV are on ART (antiretroviral therapy), one of the lowest rates in the country.

The Partnership

The Witkoppen Clinic, and the programs provided in partnership with The Gift of Hope, are essential in addressing this need. Witkoppen serves a population of 1.4 million people living in informal settlements in the areas of Northern Johannesburg. Close to 400,000 people live in Diepsloot alone, where unemployment exceeds 50% and more than 70% of the residents live below the poverty level.  Many live in shacks assembled from scrap metal, wood, plastic and cardboard, and lack access to basic services such as running water, electricity, sewage and roads. Sanitation is poor and the risk of infectious disease is high.  In addition, a significant portion of the population that comes to Witkoppen are immigrants from neighboring African countries, and lack access to governmental health care and social services.

The Impact

Witkoppen is the only primary health care center in the area that delivers comprehensive, high quality care, and doesn’t turn anyone away, regardless of their country of origin or ability to pay. It is an essential lifeline to some of the most vulnerable communities in Johannesburg, providing in excess of 100,000 patient consultations a year. In partnership with Witkoppen, our programs ensure that mothers and children in need get access to HIV testing, care and treatment, as well as all routine care for mom and baby alike, reducing transmission of HIV, keeping HIV patients healthy, and improving health outcomes for patients and the community as a whole.

Hear more about the Gift of Hope from Dr. Bruce Walker, the Director of the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, and one of the leading infectious disease doctors in the world.

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