Partnership + Vision = Making an AIDS-Free Generation Reality

Originally posted on USAID’s IMPACT Blog

Three decades ago, when AIDS was ravaging communities around the world, some said it would be impossible to provide treatment in resource-poor countries. Others said it was impossible to stop the transmission of HIV from mother to child. And most said it was unimaginable to see the end to AIDS.

Those days are in the past. In this video, Roxana Rogers, the director of the office of HIV/AIDS at USAID, describes the progress we have made in the battle against HIV/AIDS. “We haven’t ever been at a point in time where we can talk about a future where AIDS has virtually disappeared. Our vision is to make that happen,” she says.

That is a powerful vision, and one that can now be realistically considered in large part because of partnerships.

From the earliest years of the HIV epidemic, partnerships between governments and health ministries, NGOs and communities have resulted in HIV research, prevention and treatment programs that have brought us closer to the vision Ms. Rogers describes.

Partnerships provide a framework for building on gained knowledge. Partnerships allow people with different perspectives to work together, and partnerships have allowed us to make this vision of an AIDS-free generation a realistic goal.

One of FHI 360’s longest-standing partners has been USAID. For three decades, we have been working together as part of a larger effort in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Together, with others in the community, we have contributed toward turning the tide on a devastating global epidemic.

Our collaboration has focused on access to HIV/AIDS services, capacity building in resource poor settings and effective HIV prevention technologies. The approach is comprehensive and driven by research, evidence and a long track record of engaging directly with the communities around the world that have been hit the hardest.

FHI 360 is committed to bringing every critical voice to the table to work together for lasting solutions. Our efforts succeed only when we have strong partnerships with governments, civil society organizations, the private sector and the communities we serve.