In the Western Cape of South Africa, a 24-year-old named Simamkele Matinise works at an HIV-prevention mobile clinic alongside over a dozen young people. The clinics offer free services including HIV testing, education on the infection, and prevention methods such as PrEP.
The youth-led initiative is part of a larger project with the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation to fight HIV/AIDS in hard-to-reach communities. The project aims to provide culturally sensitive delivery of healthcare services, addressing the stigma around HIV that often deters people from seeking treatment.
According to Elzette Rousseau, a social and behavioral scientist involved in the project, “Access shouldn’t lie with the individual in seeking the care, but with how close you can bring the services to the person.” This approach has been successful, reducing HIV infections by 60% since the mid-90s.
However, funding for global health initiatives is under threat. President Trump’s executive order to begin dismantling USAID, cutting funding for programs that help curb HIV infections and deaths, puts pressure on the entire global health ecosystem.
Despite this uncertainty, Bekker hopes that government buy-in and collaborative partnerships across the public and private sectors will ensure continued support for community-led interventions like those in Philippi. The initiative has shown its power in Africa, and Bekker believes that “we’ll prevail” if people stay committed to their work and do the right thing.
As one of the young workers, Solatho Manjati, dreams of becoming a minister of health one day, so that initiatives like his can live on. He emphasizes the importance of education in protecting oneself from HIV, saying, “It’s a privilege” to be part of this work.
Source: https://fortune.com/well/2025/06/03/bill-gates-south-africa-hiv-aid